Vacationing With the Cahills
by Dream. Love. Smile
Summary: ...what will happen?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my first fanfic ever, so I'm actually REALLY nervous about posting…and, also, I'm worried that it's a bit too long…anyway, PLEASE READ ON! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues. If I did, let's just say…things would be very different…*evil grin***

_Amy_

I wake up to a ninja cry and a sound like a dying rat/cat/dog/whatever. My personal early morning alarm clock-Dan, my dweeb of a little brother showing off his practically non-existent 'ninja skills'-and our au pair, Nellie, singing to some random song on her iPod that I've never heard before.

Yeah, I know, a great alarm clock, right?

I get out of bed and walked down to the kitchen. Nellie's pulling a tray of pastries that smell _really, really _good out of the oven, her earphones stuck in her ears, (as usual)…and Dan is being Dan.

I sit down at the kitchen table and wait for breakfast. Dan rushes past me, doing some sort of random karate chop and accidently knocking the salt and pepper shaker off the table. They clang to the ground, break-and cause a salt and pepper mess on the kitchen floor.

"Dan!" I jerk back from the mess and Nellie looks over at us. When she sees the mess, her eyes widen.

"Dan, what did you _do?_" Nellie jerked an earphone out of one ear, setting the tray down on the table. She turned to Dan, a disapproving look on her face.

"Um…I was practicing my super-awesome NINJA SKILLS!" Dan karate chopped to demonstrate, and almost knocked Nellie's tray off the table.

I reach a hand out to steady the wobbling tray. It would be a shame to let a breakfast that smelled _that _good go to waste. I pluck one of the pastries off the tray. It was covered with powdered sugar, and oozing out of the pastry was raspberry jam. I get a plate from a drawer and plop the pastry down on it. Sitting down, I brought the pastry to my lips and watched Nellie get mad at Dan.

"This is the _fourth time _this week that you've wrecked something in my kitchen!" Nellie huffed, glaring at Dan. Her silver nose ring glinted. "Why do you have to practice your 'ninja skills,' in my favourite room in the entire house…and always DESTROY SOMETHING?"

"That's what ninja masters do, Nellie…they destroy." Dan replied. He opened his mouth to say more, but Nellie cut him off.

"I don't care what ninja masters do! Now, get a broom and _clean this up!_" Nellie snapped, shoving the earphone back in her ear and dancing over to the sink.

"Wow, Nellie…way to give me a great start on the last day of school…" Dan grumbled, walking out of the kitchen.

Oh, yeah, it was the last day of school. I completely forgot about that. I bit into the bun/pastry/breakfast/thing that Nellie made and the jam oozed out. The last day of school…ever since Nellie had been kidnapped by the Vespers, along with one member from every other Cahill branch, Uncle Fiske had insisted that every summer, we have at least one week to 'get together,' and bond.

Fiske was gone now on Madrigal business, but he was going to come back today. And who knows what he would have set up for our, 'family bonding time,' this year?

Last year, the year after the Vespers had kidnapped Nellie, Fiske had set up a family reunion thing where we travelled to every place we had been on the clue hunt. When I saw the word _Korea _on the list of places that we were going to have to go to, I immediately faked sick and got myself out of it.

For Korea conjured up too many memories I'll rather forget. It conjured up memories of jet black hair, perfectly tanned skin, and glittering amber eyes.

It reminded me too much of Ian Kabra, the guy who had wrapped me around his finger and then left me to die. Sure, I didn't really care about him much, anymore. But Evan, Evan broke up with me because he thought I had a 'thing,' for Ian Kabra.

Ian Kabra made me lose the nicest guy I had ever had in my life. I blame him for it. At 'family bonding time,' last year, I didn't even look at him. He was the cause of too much loss in my life. And yet, whenever I think of his name…a tingle shoots up my spine. It's quick, too quick to judge if it's real. But I'm over Ian Kabra now. I didn't even fall for him in the first place. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't.

Right?

_Dan_

When the last day of school was over, Amy and I went home to find Uncle Fiske waiting for us. He's sitting in the living room, making phone calls.

"Hi, Uncle Fiske," Amy greeted him, hanging her backpack up by the door.

"Hi, Amy," Uncle Fiske smiled at us. "As you know, I've insisted that we have a family reunion every year."

"And it will always turn out horrible. Cahills don't get along," I grumbled under my breath, and Amy elbowed me in the ribs.

Uncle Fiske stared at me questionably. Then he continued, "This year, I have decided that we shall try something different. Something not connected to the clue hunt. I believe it brings up memories you would rather forget?" He raised his eyebrows at Amy and she turned red.

"Well," Uncle Fiske continued, "I have decided that the…um, younger generation of Cahills will be taking a vacation together." He stops for a moment to glance at us, to see how we're processing the information. So far, Amy looks confused. I'm sort of confused, too. What kind of idea is this? Cahills taking a vacation together? Where? And how will we manage it without completely killing each other? I glance at Amy's eyes and see that she's thinking the same thing.

_I sometimes wonder if Fiske is medically sane,_ Amy's eyes say.

_I do too. I mean, Cahills together plus vacation equals disaster!_ My eyes say back.

A trace of a smile touches Amy's lips. _True. _

_I wonder how he's going to plan this out._

_Listen to him and we'll see. I'm curious on what he's going to say._

We both turn back to Uncle Fiske at the same time, and he fiddles with his hands for a moment before continuing. "I'll be sending all of you to an island." Fiske paused, "It's not mapped out on a map. This island is sort of like the island with the Gauntlet, except this island is more…suitable for a vacation. It's owned by the Madrigals."

"Oh," Amy said, "So, who will be there?"

Uncle Fiske paused, probably sorting out everyone's names in his head. "From the Ekaterina Branch-Sinead, Ted, and Ned Starling, from the Tomas Branch-Hamilton, Madison, and Reagan Holt, from the Janus Branch-Phoenix and Jonah Wizard, and from the Lucian Branch-Natalie and Ian Kabra," Uncle Fiske answered. I noticed that Amy tensed up when she heard Ian's name, and made a mental note to tease her about it later.

"Cool!" I did a karate chop, and almost knocked over a lamp. Uncle Fiske reached out and stopped it from toppling over.

"Dan! What are you doing?" Amy asked, "Could you just stop being a 'ninja,' for just one day?"

Who would want to stop being a ninja? Ninjas were awesome! No real Ninja Master would agree to stop being a ninja, even if it was just for a day, especially not for his dorky sister. "No way! Ninjas rule!" I started doing random chopping motions with my hands and Amy sighed. "So, Uncle Fiske, when do we leave?"

"Tonight," Uncle Fiske smiled. "So you better get packing. I have ordered a private jet to be waiting at the Madrigal Airport for you at nine o'clock tonight. I will not be going with you to this island, since it is only for…ah, the younger generation. Nellie may or may not go. She hasn't made up her mind. It seems that she has been offered a scholarship to an Italian cooking school."

Amy and I turned and walked out of the room, to start packing. I notice Amy shaking slightly as she walked, her hands curled into fists by her sides. I brush past her and whisper in her ear. "What's the matter, Amy? Scared that you'll meet the Cobra?"

"DAN!" Amy yelled, and I laughed and ran up the stairs.

Oh, the joys of torturing your seventeen year old older sister.

_Ian_

I am sitting on a couch in our mansion in Italy, listening to Natalie obsess over the new dresses she had just bought, when the phone rings.

_Thank you for saving me from this dreadful conversation,_ I pick up the phone and silently thank whoever had called me for saving me from Natalie's shopping/clothes obsession.

"Hello. Kabra Residence, Italy. How may I help you?"

A very familiar voice came over the line. Fiske, the Uncle of the Cahills. "Ian, there's no need to be so formal. I'm just calling to inform you of the reunion that is going to be held this summer."

"Oh. Yes?" I wasn't particularly excited about this reunion. Last year, we had to travel to all the places we went on the clue hunt. I skipped Korea and went to Cairo before everyone else. Korea was one place I didn't want to be. Whenever I heard the word _Korea, _memories came rushing back. They weren't pleasant memories, either. They were memories that I didn't want-memories of a certain red-headed, green-eyed girl. She hadn't been at the reunion last year, apparently, she had been sick. So facing Korea wouldn't have been as bad, I guess, but I didn't want to do it anyway.

"This year, Ian, the Cahills are going to take a vacation together on an isolated island. It's not mapped out-most people don't even know it exists."

"Oh. How…quaint," I commented. A vacation-clever choice of words, on Fiske's part. Knowing the Cahills, the so-called _vacation _would probably turn into something along the lines of bloodbath/mass argument/extreme awkwardness. And the extreme awkwardness was only if we were lucky, of course. Most likely it would be a mass argument, because ever since the clue hunt had ended, there was no need to draw blood.

"Yes. Please tell Natalie that a jet will be arriving at your mansion to pick you up at approximately nine o'clock. You are in your mansion in Italy, correct?"

"Uh…yes."

"Very well, then. I jet I send will take you to this island I speak of. There…well, there you will see what to do," Fiske replied.

"Who will be at this island you speak of, with us?" I ask, suddenly. Would Amy be there? If she was there…would this be a good time to…don't think about it, Ian. It always makes you nervous. You'll cross that bridge when you get there.

"Sinead Starling, Ned Starling, Ted Starling, Hamilton Holt, Reagan Holt, Madison Holt, Jonah Wizard, Phoenix, Dan Cahill, and Amy Cahill," Fiske replied after a moment's pause.

Hmm…I smile as I think of all the fights all the different people could get into. Hamilton and Sinead could fight for ages over something as miniscule as a scratch on wood. Daniel and my sister…well, that should be quite entertaining. "No adults?" I finally reply.

"No, it is only the younger generation."

That would be even more entertaining. I find myself actually starting to look forward to this reunion.

"Very well. I shall inform Natalie," I said, hanging up.

Natalie's staring at me, a curious expression on her perfect features. "What was that, dear brother?"

"Fiske, Natalie. He has invited us to the Cahill Reunion this year, the anniversary from when we finally got you out of the clutches of the Vespers." I reply.

"Must we go?" Natalie whined. Fourteen years old, and yet she still whines on and on.

"Yes, we must go," I said, deciding to ignore Natalie's whining. "The private jet Fiske promised to send will arrive at nine o'clock. Shouldn't you get packing, or would you like to be deprived with clothes? We will be at an area without a shopping mall, and I daresay, a beach."

"No shopping?" Natalie grumbled.

"Natalie," My voice was exasperated from listening to her talk about shopping for the last three hours. Natalie closed her mouth, knowing better than to mess with me when I was in this mood.

"Then I must go shopping," Natalie turned and left the room. A few minutes later I could hear the front door open and close.

_Natalie_

At exactly nine o'clock, a small jet whirred down from above and landed in our lawn. It was small…but I suppose it had to be, to be able to take off and land somewhere that doesn't have a landing strip.

Ian is eyeing my pile of suitcases and bags warily. "Must you bring so many things?"

After he had informed me that we were going on vacation with the purple Dolts, the overly smart Starlings, Jonah Wizard and his cousin Phoenix, Daniel, and the colour blind peasant that my brother seem to have a liking for somewhere without a _shopping mall, _I had went out and bought as many designer summer clothes as I could. I simply could not wear the same outfit…shudder…_twice. _Oh, the horror!

"Yes, dear brother. Everything is completely necessary." I replied, watching the jet doors open and a small folding staircase unfold and touch the grass of our lawn. I looked at my brother's own pile of luggage. Only two suitcases and a small bag. "Why did you bring so little?"

"Natalie, you forget that we aren't rich anymore. Father has given us some things, but we aren't as rich as we used to be."

My brother sounds like an adult-at the age of seventeen. I suppose that managing our finances does that to him. "I haven't forgotten."

"Good."

A man steps out of the private jet. "Ian and Natalie Kabra?"

"Yes," Ian replies.

The man steps forward and opens the luggage hatch in the jet. He starts loading my suitcases inside, but I stopped him before he could take my pink Prada bag. Once all the suitcases were loaded inside the luggage hatch, the man escorted us aboard the private jet.

I fixed my perfect black hair and looked around the inside of the jet. There was a door at the end, leading to a bathroom, no doubt. The passenger cabin was cut off from the pilot's compartment completely. The place had plush chairs with large TV screens and a small fridge. It wasn't what I was used to, but it was better than I had seen in ages.

Ian sits down on a plush seat, "To the Cahills, then."

"Or, more specifically for you, _Amy _Cahill," I said, and enjoyed the look on his face. His amber eyes widened and he flushed red.

I laughed, "I know you like her, Ian, why don't you just tell her already?"

_Sinead_

I sat in the kitchen of the Starling mansion in France, monitoring my brothers carefully. They had just gotten surgeries done so that Ned didn't have headaches much anymore, and when he did, the pain was about a quarter of what it was before the surgery. Ted could see, even though his vision wasn't perfect, and he wore contacts. I was monitoring their progress in recovering from the surgeries. So far, they had been fine, with no severe aftereffects.

Ted and Ned were looking at a blueprint of a watch that could have thirty nine different functions. And yes, they did choose that number purposely. The phone rang and I picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sinead, is that you?" Uncle Fiske. Amy and Dan's Uncle-I wonder why he's calling?

"Yes, Uncle Fiske."

"I was calling to tell you about the Cahill Reunion this year."

"Oh." The Cahill Reunion-last year, Fiske had made us go to all the places we had hunted for clues. Amy…she had faked being sick so she didn't have to go to Korea. She has never told me in detail what happened there, but from all I've gathered, it had something to do with alliances and Kabras. Not a good mix.

And last year, we also had to go to the place where Ned and Ted got hurt. That was painful. I kept imagining the bomb going off again, and whenever it did in my head, my scars seemed to tingle. It was horrible.

"This year, the younger generation of Cahills is taking a vacation together."

A vacation? With Cahills. That is the craziest idea I have ever heard. Did he know what could _happen?_ Anything could happen! We could blow up an entire continent! We _were _Cahills. That was totally possible.

"The vacation would be held at a Madrigal island. Like the island with the Gauntlet, this island is not mapped and nobody but the Madrigals knows of its existence." Fiske continued, "Your brothers and you are expected to come."

"Of course, Fiske," I replied, tapping the kitchen table with my fingers.

"A private jet will be landing at your mansion at around nine o'clock tonight," Fiske said. "It will take you to this island. I expect you will be ready by that time?"

"I suppose so."

"Good. You are staying at the Starling mansion in France…according to Amy."

"Amy is right," I smile. At least I would see Amy again. I had missed her after I had moved out of her mansion-but Ned and Ted needed to go to France for their surgeries. And we had decided to stay there after that.

"So I will send the jet at nine, then."

"That would be perfectly fine." Fiske hung up and I did, too.

I coughed, causing my brothers to look up from their blueprint. "We're going to the annual Cahill Reunion. We leave at nine. I think you should…start packing."

_Ted_

I could see again. I could see again. It has been two weeks since my surgery and I still couldn't believe it. _I could see again. _Right now, I was looking at a blueprint with my brother. We were muttering observations about the design under our breaths.

"This design of watch…" Ned began.

"Will not be very lightweight," I finished. Ned and I always knew what the other was thinking. I didn't even need to ask-I always knew what Ned was thinking. It was like his thoughts just popped into my mind. I've been researching telepathy. Perhaps it's that, or perhaps it's just how close we are.

"We need a material…" I began.

"…that will make it lightweight yet functional." Ned finished, smiling at me. I hadn't seen his smile in ages. It was nice to see him again, to see a complete replica of myself again. It sparked a new connection between us.

"Perhaps some sort of material used by NASA." I suggested, and Ned pondered over this for a moment. Sinead, my sister, the last triplet, was talking on the phone to someone. I briefly wondered who it could be.

Ned and I discussed the different materials used by NASA, until finally Sinead coughed, which made us both look up.

"We've been invited to attend the annual Cahill Reunion. We leave at nine. I think you should…start packing."

A Cahill reunion…I began pondering all the different things that could happen. We could blow up a continent. The Lucian technology of bombs plus the Ekaterina technology would make a bomb powerful enough to blow Europe up. We could stage a gigantic fight…we could…

Oh, what the heck. We were Cahills. We could do _anything._

_Ned_

Ted and I went through all the different blueprints in our room, trying to decide which ones to take.

"How about this one?" Ted pointed at one tacked up on the wall. It was a blueprint of a miniscule pen that could transform into a sword, spear, or knife at the slightest turn. It was also Ted's favourite design.

"Sure," I replied, plucking it off the wall, rolling it up, and stuffing it in the tote bag we were using to hold our blueprints. The bag was already stuffed full, and there was another bag filled with textbooks. In addition to these two bags, we also had two suitcases.

Starlings valued knowledge above anything. _Ekaterina _valued knowledge above anything. Though, if looked at correctly, knowledge _was _the most important tool. With knowledge, you could do almost anything. So, priding knowledge was the right…I rubbed my head, half-expecting a headache to start. I used to get headaches whenever I started thinking too hard. Now I don't. It's almost a miracle, but it isn't. Starlings don't believe in miracles. They believed in_ science._

I zip up the bag. "I think that's enough. It's already…"

"Eight forty five," Ted finished my sentence, looking at the clock.

"Don't forget your contacts," I reminded him, picking up his contact kit and throwing it to him.

"I won't or Sinead will…" Ted started.

"…go ballistic." I finished. We both laugh, "Trust me, I know."

"TED! NED!" Sinead's voice came ringing up the stairs, and she burst into our room. "Are you ready yet? We have to be ready soon!"

"What's the rush…?" I began, trusting Ted to finish the rest of the statement for me. He always knew exactly how.

"…dear sister? Are you excited to see certain people…"

"…like the Tomas?"

Sinead flushes bright red and Ted and I both laugh.

A week ago, Ned and I had installed a camera, one of our inventions, in Sinead's room. And we got some very _interesting _footage of her talking in her sleep about '_muscular, awesome Hamilton Holt._' It was hilarious to watch, and we had been teasing Sinead about it ever since.

"Come on," Sinead grumbled. "We don't want to be late." She walked out the door, Ted and I still laughing hysterically.

_Hamilton_

I smash a brick with my bare fist. It doesn't even sting. I run around the training room, the pedometer attached to my hip measuring how fast I'm running. Almost at car speed. I smash bricks and juggle medicine balls and kick anything I could kick.

Training. It was a part of Holt family life, and I can truly say I enjoy it. But now…after all I've been through, I didn't really want to use my training to actually _hurt _innocent people. Dad would say I was going soft. I would say I was becoming more _human._

In a corner, Reagan and Madison are pounding punching bags so hard they fell to the ground in a matter of seconds. The twins burned through all the punching bags in a minute, then they turned to each other and high-fived.

A sharp ringing echoed through the room and all three of us stopped our training. The phone was ringing, something it ever rarely did. Nobody ever found good cause to call the Holt family-to them we were just a bunch of brainless Dolts. Well, I'll admit we're not the _sharpest _knife in the bunch, but we're not brainless!

Madison, Reagan, and I race for the phone. I naturally get there first and pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hamilton. This is Fiske." Fiske…Fiske…where had I heard that name before? Oh, yes! Grace's brother. My buddy Dan's uncle.

"Hi."

"I was calling you to talk about the annual Cahill Reunion." Fiske continued.

"The Cahill Reunion," I repeated. Last year, the Cahill Reunion had been a sort of nightmare. Reliving the clue hunt-honestly, what sane person would want to do that?

"Yes. This year the…younger generation of Cahills will be vacationing together on a Madrigal island, not plotted on any maps. This keeps you safe from Vespers."

"Vacationing?" That sounded pleasant enough…but knowing Cahills, anything that sounded pleasant was either a trap, bad news, or a gateway that leads into endless fights, maybe even war.

"Yes…where are you, currently?"

"Holt home, Africa," I replied. Madison, Reagan and I had moved here after we had all decided we didn't want to stay with Dad anymore, because he threw daily tantrums because we hadn't won the hunt.

"Well…I'll send a private jet for you. It'll be there at about nine o'clock in the evening. It will take you to the island. I suggest you pack."

"All right…bye?"

"Bye." He hung up and I did too, turning to face Madison and Reagan.

"We're going to have a Cahill Reunion."

_Madison_

"We're going to have a Cahill Reunion."

Oh, a Cahill Reunion? Great! Since when was a Cahill Reunion ever good news?

Hamilton had insisted we cut our training short to get ready for the Reunion, which, apparently, was going to be at some sort of isolated island. That was just great…Cahills without any supervision. Then again, that was a lot of freedom. I could probably tear up the whole island if I wanted to, Reagan at my side.

So, now, I'm in mine and Reagan's room, packing for this reunion.

I folded a purple t-shirt and placed it in my duffel bag. "Since when are Cahill Reunions good news?" I said, voicing my thoughts.

"Since never. Imagine all the things that could _happen,_" Reagan said.

"Well, last Cahill Reunion we didn't try to kill each other…much." I said, thinking of last year, when we had to travel around the world to all the different places we had went on the clue hunt.

"That was because we were all too busy wallowing in memory," Reagan replied, tossing a watch in her duffel bag. "This reunion…I have a feeling we're all going to kill each other."

"And that is a bad thing because…? If people try to do it physically, we'll be able to take them." I grin, and Reagan glances worriedly at me.

"Madison, I don't mean physically. And we will _never _hurt anyone physically unless it's for self defense!" Reagan said, throwing her hands up. "I mean…verbally. Hamilton and Sinead's verbal wars…all that."

"Well, we can handle all that, can't we?"

Silence.

"Reagan?"

"We survived a lot of things, Madison…but the one thing I don't think we can survive? A Cahill Reunion."

_Reagan_

I wasn't kidding when I said we couldn't survive a Cahill Reunion. I really don't think it's possible to come out of one unscathed. I mean, it's all the branches together. Ekaterina and their smarts and torture inventions, Janus and their creativity and love for their branch, Tomas with brute force, and Lucians with their sneakiness…not to mention Madrigals. The peacemakers.

Well, if you combine all the branches together, (and I'm not good at Math), believe me when I say this will happen: ultimate disaster. I don't know why we _bother _to have Cahill Reunions. They just hurt us.

Hamilton, Madison and I are looking up toward the sky, holding our duffel bags. A small jet is descending onto our lawn. The jet lands, and the door hisses open. A small folding staircase unfolds and lands on the grass. The luggage hatch slides open, and Hamilton tosses his duffel bag into it. Madison does the same, and so do I.

My life used to be all about brute force. All that. Hurting people to get the clues. But now…after what I've been through…after being kidnapped by the Vespers…I will never hurt somebody physically again, if it wasn't for self defense. I swore to myself I wouldn't. I had learned that hurting someone left scars. Lots of them.

I'm pretty sure Madison doesn't understand. She has been raised on hurting things and people. This is the first time I haven't been able to freely talk to my twin about something. It sucks.

I step into the private jet last. The pilot's voice comes over the intercom, "En route to Cahill Reunion."

Or, in other words, _en route to disaster._

_Jonah_

I'm in a penthouse suite in the fanciest hotel in Tokyo, lying on a couch. My cousin Phoenix, yes, the one who had been kidnapped by the Vespers, is sitting calmly on an armchair. For once, I had decided to take him on one of my tours. Tokyo wrapped up our tour-it was the last performance.

My phone rang, and I answered it. "Yo! Da Wiz speaking."

"…Jonah, please don't use your 'gangster,' talk with me. I'm afraid I can't understand it. This is Fiske Cahill."

I coughed, shaking myself out of the habit of talking in gangsta. I did that for my fans, for the press. I didn't do it near my family. "Oh, hi, Mr. Cahill."

"Jonah, I want to invite you to our Cahill Reunion, Phoenix, too."

"A Cahill Reunion," I repeated. Those words were never good. Last year, our, 'Cahill Reunion,' had been horrible. We had to travel to all the places where I had hurt people, all the places with Janus strongholds…all that. It was painful, to remember all those memories.

"Yes. This year, the younger generation of Cahills will be vacationing together."

Hmm…a vacation. I could use a vacation. And of course, it _was _summer. Phoenix could use one, too, after me dragging him on tour with me. The endless fan girls _could_ be a bit annoying and exhausting to deal with.

"That's cool," I finally replied.

"Good to see you agree with it," Fiske replied. "I'll send a private jet suitable for you to the Tokyo airport. It'll be arriving at…say, nine?"

"I have a concert in Tokyo tonight," I said.

"Could you possibly cut it short?"

I looked over at Phoenix, the little guy. He was slumped over and tired. Four hours ago, we had been in Paris, and I had dragged him to parties, through paparazzi, and through crowds. Even though he dare not admit it, I knew he was exhausted. And I did care for the little guy's health. I'm not an expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure keeping the guy up partying all night wasn't good for his health.

"Sure," I said into the phone.

"Good. Be at the Tokyo airport at nine in the evening. Bye."

"See ya," I said, and hung up. I turned to Phoenix. "We're ending this tour early and going on a vacation with me homies."

Only then did I realize that taking Phoenix to a _Cahill Reunion _might be more hazardous than partying 24/7.

_Phoenix_

I was tired beyond belief. How did Jonah do this full-time? The endless circle of parties, interviews, paparazzi, fan girls, and concerts were exhausting. I was sitting on the armchair, almost ready to fall asleep completely.

But when Jonah stopped talking on the phone to whoever he was talking to and said, "We're ending this tour early and going on a vacation with me homies," I was so shocked I sat bolt upright.

"_What?_" I thought Jonah never ended his tour early. He had said it was bad for business and all that.

"We're going on vacation," Jonah repeated. "Yo, do you really need Da Wiz to repeat it? We are going on vay-cay with my homies."

"Who are your, 'homies'?" I ask, and Jonah grinned.

"Well, the Cahills, of course! It's a reunion."

"A _reunion?_" I was shocked. The last time the Cahills had a reunion, they travelled all around the world and everyone was mostly quiet. I tagged along with Jonah…which I did a lot these days.

"Yes, a reunion, Phoenix-because that's how the Cahills roll," Jonah grinned.

"So, I'm going to another reunion."

"Yes, Phoenix, because you are a Cahill," Jonah grinned and stood up. "We're leaving in eight hours. Pack."

_-End-_

And, so the Cahill Reunion begins.

**A/N: Yay! The first chapter is done. PLEASE REVIEW, WHOEVER IS READING THIS…is there anyone reading this? *silence***

**Oh, whatever. Just, please, please, review. I'll love to know what you're all thinking :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Second Chapter of this story! Yay! I don't even know if anyone reads this…**

**Okay, just a heads up, the only book I've read in the Cahills v.s. Vespers series is the **_**Medusa Plot.**_** So…I'm sorry if some of the info isn't accurate. And I don't know the character's ages…so Hamilton, Sinead, Ted, and Ned are going to be nineteen, Amy and Ian are going to be seventeen, and Dan, Natalie, Phoenix, Madison and Reagan are going to be fourteen. I don't know how old Phoenix is, so O.o. **

**Anyway, I hope you like it. Read on :)**

_Amy_

Everyone's arrived at the island, and they're all mingling and chatting. No violence/severe arguments have broken out yet, which I'm actually really thankful for, because if they had…I might actually have to send myself to a hospital.

I look around. The island is surrounded by sandy beaches and turquoise water, and there's a huge mansion up on a cliff overlooking the sea. The rest of the island is like a gigantic tropical garden, with fountains and plants and everything. There are paths lined with flowers and pretty rocks leading everywhere, including up to the mansion. Currently, we're in the area by the airstrip, which is lined with trees perfect for climbing, and has a lot of tulips.

Hamilton and Sinead are actually…talking to each other without Sinead going half-mad and Hamilton's face turning purple. Ned and Ted and Madison and Reagan are all sitting on a big rock, watching their older siblings. They're whispering to each other, and once in a while all four of them will start laughing hysterically. Dan is arguing with Natalie, and Jonah and Phoenix are going around singing songs. Ian…oh my god, where's Ian? I can't avoid Ian if I didn't know where he was.

"Hello, Love. Nice seeing you here," and there's the answer to my question.

I whirled around, and there he was, in all his tanned perfection, wearing beige shorts and a navy blue Ralph Lauren polo t-shirt. "Don't c-call me l-love." Curse that stutter. I looked around for a good excuse to get out of there. "I-I'm going to c-catch up with J-Jonah and Phoenix." I practically ran away from him.

"Wait, love!" I didn't look back. What was I afraid of? I didn't know, really…only that whenever I talked to Ian or interacted with him-bad things happened.

_Dan_

The moment Natalie stepped off the jet, she walked over to me. "Hello, Daniel."

"It's _Dan,_" I grumble, "And what are you doing here? You know you really can't call me a peasant anymore…I'm richer than you."

By the look in her eyes, like the amber had been set on fire, I knew I had hit a nerve. She reached into her hot pink purse and pulled out a silver dart gun. "What were you saying, _Daniel?_" She made a point of emphasizing 'Daniel.'

I lowered my head, beat. Ninjas would be ashamed that a girl wearing hot pink from head to toe with a silver dart gun had bested me. "I was saying…we should go to the mansion."

Natalie lowered her dart gun and cocked her head. "For once, I agree with you."

"Race?"

"No, it'll ruin my new heels!"

Of course Natalie wouldn't change that much…

I sigh and we both start walking toward the mansion.

Wait, did I just have an almost-civil conversation with _Natalie Kabra? _

_Ian_

Amy avoided me. She ran away as soon as I said 'Hello,' to her. I mean, I understand that I've, um, _hurt _her multiple times, but she doesn't have to run away! And I expected her to come up with a better excuse than, 'I'm going to catch up with Jonah and Phoenix.' The guy who's music sounds like clanging pots and his little cousin…what could she possibly have to talk to them about?

I watch as Amy walks up to Jonah. Jonah starts singing and she starts rolling her eyes. Then she leans forward, whispers something into Jonah's ear, and Jonah turns white and then flushes red. Wait, WHAT? What could she have possibly said? Why? How?

A feeling rose up inside my stomach and my lunch threatened to spill out. Ugh. How…peasant-like. I looked around, saw that Daniel and Natalie were walking up the path to the mansion, and decided to follow them.

What is it about Jonah and Amy that makes me want to…inject myself with the most lethal poison known to Lucian and die?

_Natalie_

Daniel is still as obsessed with those…peasant like fighters dressed in black called ninjas. He's talking about things called video games and Skittles as we walk up the hill to the mansion.

Needless to say, I had no idea what he was talking about, and I did not really care.

"Daniel, please-be quiet," I said, putting my dart gun away.

"What, too polite and sophisticated to say, 'shut up?'" Daniel grinned widely. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic red bag of candies. Pulling out a candy, he put it in his mouth.

I got my dart gun out and fingered the darts in my purse. "What's your favourite number, Daniel?"

"It's D-A-N! After all these years of private school, you _still _don't know what my name is," he whined, eating some of those revolting, fattening candies.

"What's your favourite number, Daniel?" I repeated.

"Thirty-nine," he replied. Obviously.

"Poison number thirty-nine, then," I pick out a dart and insert it into the gun. I direct it at Daniel. "Nighty-night."

"Wait, what does this poison…" Daniel dropped to the ground.

I laugh. "Don't worry, dear, I have the antidote."

_Sinead_

Hamilton _had _been working out. That was the first thing I noticed about him. Then I mentally cursed myself for thinking it.

"Hi, Sinead," Hamilton said, and my hands immediately go to fix my auburn ponytail. Wait…since when did I care about my appearance.

"Um, hi," I said back. "What have you been, uh, doing lately?"

"Well…Madison, Reagan and I moved away from our parents, and we now live in Africa. We have this totally awesome training room underground, so basically, each day is just train, eat, train, eat, train, eat," Hamilton replied.

No wonder he was so buff. No, Sinead, NO! Stop thinking about it…

"That's…nice." _Nice, Sinead?_ I mentally face palmed. _You are an Ekaterina, with access to the world's longest, fanciest words, and the best thing you can come up with is NICE?_

"What have you been up to lately?" Hamilton smiled, and I immediately felt warmer.

"Uh, well, you know. Studying," I said. _Sinead, could you get any more boring?_

A gust of wind blew Hamilton's blond hair off his face. "Studying…so where do you live now? From my sources, all the Cahills are scattered across the globe."

"Oh, we live in France," I replied, "Ted and Ned had to go there for their surgeries, and we decided to live in the Starling mansion there."

"France…" Hamilton mused, "Why does that sound so much grander than Africa?"

I laugh, "Maybe because Africa's known for starving children."

"Right…"

Hamilton nudges me, and tingles shoot through my arm. What is _wrong _with me? This is Hamilton Holt, a Tomas, from the most brainless branch of the family! I should be looking down on him, lecturing him! "Look," he whispers, nodding toward a big rock, where both our siblings are sitting.

Ted is talking to Reagan, and she's saying things back, and then they're glancing over at us and bursting into hysterical laughter. Ned is doing the same with Madison.

"They're talking about us," I think of when Ted and Ned had installed that camera in my room and got footage of me sleep talking. If they showed it to Hamilton…I shuddered.

"Of course they are," Hamilton's hands are clenched into fists, his brow furrowed. He's obviously worried.

What is he worried about?

_Ted_

Reagan, Ned, Madison and I are sitting on the rock, talking about Hamilton and Sinead.

"I think that Hamilton would _love _to have something with Sinead," Reagan said. She glances at Madison, and they both start laughing.

"Why…" Ned began.

"…do you think that?" I finished.

"Should we tell them?" Madison glanced over at Reagan.

Reagan nodded, "Okay, so you know how we train every day."

"Yes," Ned and I said in unison.

"Hamilton trains for Sinead," Reagan grinned. "A lot of times, Madison and I have heard him mumbling under his breath, 'Must train for Sinead. Must get buff for Sinead.'"

We look at each other in silence before bursting into laughter. In the corner of my eye, I saw Hamilton and Sinead glancing over at us for a brief second. Sinead's eyes are worried. I laugh even harder.

"Oh, Sinead would…" Ned started.

"…love that," I finished, grinning.

_Ned_

Ted and I looked at each other, remembering the footage of Sinead sleep talking. I remembered the exact words she said:

_Hamilton…come closer…don't leave me…muscular, handsome, Hamilton Holt…just, don't…_and on and on for, like, about four hours. When we showed Sinead the footage, she had tried to delete it, but we were smarter than that. Ned and I had anticipated that, so we had saved it on every single hard drive and computer we had…which was a lot. In fact, I had it saved on my watch.

"Sinead would love what?" Madison asked me, and I grinned at her.

"Well…" Ted started.

"…you see, we have footage of Sinead sleep talking…" I continued.

"…about Hamilton…"

"…and it's hilarious." I finished, holding out my watch. "I have it in my watch. If we have a computer or tablet of some sort…"

"…we could show it to you…" Ted continued.

"…and Sinead will hate us forever." I grin, "But we'll do it anyway."

Madison and Reagan jumped up. "Ooh, we want to see!"

Ted glanced toward the mansion. "Let's go…"

"…to that mansion." I grinned, tapping the surface of my watch. It had Sinead's deepest secret hidden in it.

_Hamilton _

Sinead and I glanced at our siblings, who are now jumping up and walking toward the mansion.

"Should we join them?" I ask, nodding toward the people heading up to the mansion. Amy has just started walking up to the mansion with Jonah and Phoenix. Ian is watching them. I can't see his expression because his head is lowered, but I'll bet it was a jealous expression.

"Yeah, why not?" Sinead smiled at me, and I fought to keep from jumping up and down. _Sinead smiled at me! An Ekaterina smiled at a Tomas! I thought that wasn't possible!_

We start walking toward the mansion. Sinead looked over at Amy talking to Jonah and Phoenix and Ian watching. "That looks like a cover off some romance novel," Sinead laughs, pointing at Jonah, Amy, and Ian. "The _Love Triangle _or something like that."

I raised my eyebrows, "Who would read _that?_"

Sinead flushed, "Well…if it was Amy, Jonah, and Ian, I would read it."

"I thought Ekaterinas only read _useful _books with _nonfiction _information that would help their inventions. But…I would read it if it was about Amy, Jonah, and Ian. I'm really curious on what happened between them. I mean, there's always some sort of weird tension between Amy and Ian, and nobody knows why." I teased, grinning at her.

Sinead turned redder, and then she took a deep breath and went back to normal. "I didn't think Tomas would read _romance _novels," she grinned at me.

"I said if it actually _told _the story of Amy and Ian!" I protested, throwing up my hands. The road leading up to the mansion on the cliff had begun to get steeper. I barely even noticed it, but Sinead had started panting. "Tired, Ekat?"

Sinead shot a death glare at me. "Well, Tomas, not all of us have no lives and spend ages preparing for climbing up a hill." Ouch. That stung. And I could sense the beginning of a full-on argument. Shame…I really was enjoying our conversation. The only one we've ever had after the Franklin Institute without trying to kill each other.

"You're saying _I _have no life? Whose branch spends their entire lives _studying, _Ekat? The Ekaterina don't even know how to get out of the house and have fun!"

"At least studying will _get _you somewhere in life, Tomas! Where will training get you?" Sinead snapped at me, and my heart dropped.

_Sinead, don't you know that I train every day for _you?

_Madison_

Ned or Ted walks slowly up the hill. He walked next to me, and his fingers keep on going to his watch, where, no doubt, a lot of information was stored.

I coughed, "Um, how did your surgery go…"

"…Ned," he looked up and smiled at me. "I'm Ned."

"…Ned." Which one was Ned? The one with the headaches or the one that was blind? Oh, yeah, the one with headaches. "Do you still get headaches?" My eyes flicker to Ted, and then back to Ned. Was there no difference about them? How do you _identify _them?

"No, I don't get headaches anymore," Ned replied. "Well, occasionally. But they're not very painful. How have the Holts been?"

I paused. "Well, we're living in Africa. It's located somewhere near the edge of a forest, a sort of middle-sized bungalow. But there's a gigantic training center underneath it, which is where we go every day. Where have you been?"

"France," Ned replied, "We've been inventing things there. It's been much easier since our surgeries. One of the things we invented," He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a tiny chip. "Like this."

"What is it?" I ask, as Ned handed it to me.

"Advanced Ekaterina technology-it records your dreams." A mischievous look crosses his face. "I want to try it on Sinead…and maybe Hamilton."

_Reagan_

Ted glances at Ned, who's showing Madison some kind of tiny chip. His eyes light up when he sees it. "Ned…you're thinking…"

"…that we'll plant it on Sinead? Yes. You do want to see what she…"

"…dreams," Ted finished, flashing a smile at me. "That chip, you see, is advanced…"

"…Ekaterina technology…"

"…it records your dreams and converts them into video format…"

"…this then can be viewed on a computer and downloaded into hard drives..."

"…and we can give one to you to see what Hamilton dreams." Ted finished. Honestly, it's creepy the way they complete each other's sentences. But the stuff they invent…I didn't even know it was possible. Dreams in video format? But seeing what Hamilton dreams, well…that would be fun.

"Hand one over. We'll try it tonight," I hold out my hand and Ted drops a microchip into it.

All four of us smile at each other.

_Jonah_

Amy was talking to me about Shakespeare as we walked up the hill to the mansion. "Do you like _Romeo and Juliet?_"

The truth was, I totally did like that play, but I wasn't about to let her know it! It was a sappy romantic play written by _Shakespeare, _of all people! If my fans found this out, my career would be _over._ "No! Ew."

Amy smiled at me knowingly. "Oh, yes you do."

My eyes widened, and Amy pointed at me. "Ah-ha! You do like it! Oh, wait until people hear this…the great _Jonah Wizard _likes _Shakespeare's _most popular play, _Romeo and Juliet!_"

"Cut that out! You would _never _tell _anyone!_" I hiss, and Amy laughed.

"Of course I won't. But is Jonah scared of his fan girls finding out that he liked something that teachers force them to read in English class?"

"Stop before I start insulting you in Shakespeare." I snap. Liking Shakespeare was a _very _touchy subject for me, and I'll rather nobody knew about it.

"I'll stop. Don't want you turning into Dan."

I smile at Amy, and then glance backwards. Sinead and Hamilton are yelling at each other-insults, most probably. And Ian…he's behind us, glancing at Amy and me. I could read his expression-he was jealous. Everyone _knew _he was totally in _love _with Amy-except Amy and Ian. I could tell that Ian didn't even know he was in love with Amy.

"Did you know that Ian likes you?" I ask, and watch Amy stiffened.

"He doesn't." Phoenix, who had been glancing out to sea, looked at us curiously.

"Yes, he doesn't _like _you. He _loves _you."

Amy's hands clenched into fists. "He doesn't."

_Phoenix_

Okay, Jonah warned me on the jet that a Cahill Reunion would be anything but normal and quiet.

Well, right now the Cahill Reunion was quite boring. Amy was talking to Jonah about something that made him blush and turn pale all the time, and I was bored. I looked out at the beach, and listened to the tide. _In, out, in, out. _The tide sounded like music-and that was something Janus appreciated.

If Nellie, Amy and Dan's au pair, was here, it was a safe bet everything would've been ten times more eventful. _Nellie _was cool. Sure, she might've spent all her time listening to music, and she was practically addicted to her iPod, but she was cool. And I liked her. Sometimes, I got jealous of Amy and Dan. I wanted Nellie to be _my _au pair.

"He doesn't," I glance over at Amy and briefly wonder what she and Jonah were talking about.

I decided I didn't care and turned back to the waves and the tide.

This Cahill Reunion was probably going to be pretty boring.

-End-

**A/N: And I'm DONE! Was it boring? Well…this is mostly an introduction to the vacation chaos…oh Phoenix, how wrong you are. The real fun begins next chapter. *evil grin***

**Sorry if it's not as long as my first chapter, but I might have a nine pages or longer third chapter up by tonight…so…be nice to me? And, please, please, please REVIEW so I know people are actually reading this story…if people aren't reading this, I'm not as motivated to write…IF YOU GUYS REVIEW, I MIGHT HAVE A CHAPTER UP BY TONIGHT! So please review…**

**Gosh, I sound hopeless…anyway, bye! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm feeling especially creative today, so here's another chapter! And I have an idea for the next chapter, so…you might expect it late at night today, (doubtful), or tomorrow! But after I post this I'll be writing the next chapter…as long as I'm allowed on the computer for that long. Enjoy ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues. If I did…Evan had better watch out. *cackles***

_Amy_

Jonah and I walked inside the mansion. Natalie is already inside, holding her dart gun and a dart. I have a suspicion she had to do with the passed-out Dan that we passed on the way up. The first room you enter when you enter the mansion really is spectacular. It's a large room with lots of tiered balconies that lead into rooms on the second, third, fourth, and fifth rooms. There's a bunch of glass elevators built into the walls, and a skylight at the very roof of the house. A bubbling fountain is right underneath the skylight, and the whole entrance hall looks like an indoor flower garden, with all the flowers surrounding it.

It's beautiful.

Everyone else is coming inside and looking around. Ian comes in, looking dejected, reminding me of what Jonah had said about him.

_Oh, he doesn't _like _you. He _loves _you._ I don't even know if I want that to be true. Of course, if Ian really did like me, that would be an achievement…Amy, what are you doing thinking about this?

After Ian, Madison, Reagan, Ted, and Ned walk in. Reagan and Ned are holding something, turning it over in their hands. They're laughing and whispering. Since when were the Starlings and the Holts friends?

Then Sinead and Hamilton walk in, yelling insults at each other, Hamilton holding the limp body of Dan.

When Natalie sees Dan, her lips curve into a smile-a satisfied smile. She twirls the dart around with her fingers.

"Natalie!" Ian yelled. "What number poison did you use?"

"Thirty nine," Natalie replied, dropping the dart into her pink purse.

Ian pulled a needle from his pocket and walked over to the limp body of Dan. "Natalie, don't do that ever again." He injected whatever was in the needle into Dan.

A few seconds later, Dan leaped out of Hamilton's arms. "What just happened?"

"Um…Natalie poisoned you?" I suggested weakly. Dan's eyes widened and he turned to Natalie.

"Natalie…you are going to _pay!_" Dan lunged for Natalie. Natalie held up her dart gun.

I ran over to Dan and held him back, and Ian ran over to Natalie and kicked the dart gun out of her hands. Phoenix was watching all this action, his eyes wide.

"Let go of me! She's going to pay! Where are my Skittles? WHERE ARE THE NINJA MASTER'S SKITTLES?" Dan yelled, trying to break free of my grasp.

"Ian! My dart gun! Give it back! It's state of the art Lucian technology!" Natalie whined, chasing after Ian, who was holding the dart gun. It was actually pretty impressive how fast Natalie could run on her heels.

Phoenix's mouth dropped open. "Does this happen at every reunion? I thought they were all boring!"

Everyone froze and looked at him. Then, in eerie unison, we all said, "You thought _what?_"

"Dude, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Jonah said, ruffling Phoenix's hair. "Cahill Reunion, boring?"

_Dan_

Natalie. Poisoned. Me.

That. Little. Witch.

I'll sic some of my ninja powers on her-then she'll regret ever shooting me with those poisoned darts of hers! I struggled to break free of Amy's grasp. "Let me at her! Let me at her!"

"No, Dan! The whole point of this reunion is about _uniting._ How are we supposed to _unite _when you and Natalie are at war?" Amy protested, trying to hold me back. "Now, STOP IT!"

I stopped struggling. "Fine. Let me go, but Natalie is going to _pay._"

Amy let go of me and I ran after Natalie immediately.

"DAN!" I heard Amy yell, but I wasn't paying attention. I tackled Natalie to the floor, pulled off her designer heels, and tossed them into the fountain.

"MY HEELS!" Natalie yelled. Ian stood over us, holding Natalie's dart gun. "MY DART GUN! GIVE THEM BACK! NOW!"

Now Amy was standing over us, arms crossed. "Dan…"

"Natalie, hand your purse over. I'm depleting your poison supply," Ian said, holding out his hand.

Natalie hugged her purse to her chest. "NO!" I was still on top of her. We're lying beside the fountain, on the cold marble floor.

"Natalie," Ian put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a dart. He loaded the dart gun. "Hand it over or I'll shoot you with poison number ten hundred fifty two."

Natalie's eyes widened and she practically threw her bag at Ian. "Take it, take it, take it!"

Ian smirked, "I wonder what you have to hide."

Amy pulled me off Natalie, "Dan! Whenever I trust you, you make a mess of things!" Everyone's looking at the scene, amused smiles on their faces. I brush myself off.

"What's so interesting about Natalie and me hating each other? It's part of life, people," I said, and Hamilton and Jonah laughed.

"What does poison number ten hundred fifty two do?" I heard Amy ask Ian.

Ian smiled as he pulls the dart out of the gun. "It makes you reveal all your secrets."

Secrets? What did Natalie have to hide? Hmm…I need to get my hands on that poison.

_Ian_

Poison number ten hundred fifty two. My best friend and best tool for getting blackmail material. How many times did I get special offers because of that poison? I had used it to threaten clue hunters many times, too…I must've gotten at least three clues using this. I have to admit, this is the best poison the Lucians have ever designed.

I pocketed the dart and looked around. Everyone was watching the scene that had just played out. Phoenix and Jonah were talking, and Jonah seemed to be laughing about something. Amy's eyes were looking at an arch, a doorway really, in a corner that seemed to lead to another room.

I coughed. "Perhaps we should go through that doorway?" I nodded toward the arch that was decorated with rose vines.

Dan and Natalie were glaring at each other. I was holding Natalie's purse, looking through the poisons. She had every number up to thirty nine, and all the lethal ones, too. I extracted all the poisonous darts and left only the ones that would make the person lose unconsciousness. Then I threw the purse back to Natalie. "Here."

Everyone was already going through the doorway. Sinead and Hamilton were in the lead, yelling insults at each other. Their siblings were right behind them, laughing and talking about something. Natalie stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Stupid American git."

Amy heard, and she looked up. I saw pain in her jade eyes before she turned away, grabbed Daniel by the shoulders, and steered him towards the doorway. Jonah and Phoenix followed them, and Amy started talking to Jonah. He says something that makes her laugh, and I bite my lip.

"Come on, Natalie."

What was going on between Amy and that stupid git whose music sounded like banging pots together?

I had to find out.

_Natalie_

I traced my brother's gaze and had to fight from laughing outright. As usual, he was staring at that Cahill girl, the sister of that stupid American git that had just attacked me and _ruined my outfit!_ I would change…but I didn't know where my luggage was. The pilots had just carried it to the house…I had no idea where they had put it.

I dragged my brother to the doorway, peering inside my purse to see what poisons he had extracted. All the _useful _ones that killed in a second-the only thing I had left were the sleeping darts. Ah, well…an overdose of that could kill, if necessary.

I stepped through the doorway into a large sitting room. It had pristine white leather couches and a sea view-floor to ceiling windows. Also those revolting chairs made of beanbags that were so difficult to keep your posture perfect on. One wall was a gigantic TV screen, and on the coffee table, located in the middle of all the seats, was a notebook. All the other Cahills were sitting on the chairs. Sinead and Hamilton were sitting with their backs to each other. Ted, Ned, Madison, and Reagan were sitting together on a couch, talking. Amy and Daniel were both sitting in beanbags, and so were Phoenix and Jonah.

I sat down on a white leather couch, and Ian sat down beside me. Amy picked up the notebook and flipped through it. "It's a gigantic list of instructions from Fiske."

"Read it," Ian said, and Amy cleared her throat and started reading.

"'_Dear Amy, Dan, Ian, Natalie, Sinead, Ted, Ned, Hamilton, Madison, Reagan, Jonah, and Phoenix-_

_This is the place you will be staying for the entire summer-.'"_

"The ENTIRE SUMMER?" Hamilton and Sinead both interrupted. They looked at each other, and then looked away.

"'_I have outfitted this mansion so that there are many different, 'bonding games,' you could play.'" _Amy read, and there were a lot of raised eyebrows. _"'The first game you have to play will be laser tag._'"

"Laser tag?" I interrupted. Tag with lasers? What was that supposed to be? "May I ask what that is?"

Daniel laughed, and I shot a death glare at him. I may not have any poison left, but the sleeping darts would suffice. "Natalie, you've got a lot to learn."

_Sinead_

Laser tag? The words brought back memories of laughing, taunting. Taunting at how much I got shot, taunting at how much I cried. Slipping, tripping, and falling. I shuddered.

"Laser tag! Awesome! Where are we going to play?" Hamilton grinned, and I glanced over at him. I hadn't meant to call him brainless, stupid, dumb, an exact replica of his father…but it just slipped out. I wanted to call him…well; I didn't know what I wanted to call him, exactly. But definitely not insults.

Amy kept on reading. "_'I have installed a laser tag arena in the mansion. It is connected to the sitting room. Do you see the gigantic painting of white tigers on the wall?'"_

Heads swerved to look at the gigantic, framed painting of two white tigers lying by a pond. It was hung on one of the walls.

"'_Go over to it and tap it twice. Say, 'Madrigal, Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, Janus. Have fun playing laser tag!'"_

Fun playing laser tag. I sometimes hate how cheery Fiske can be. I can _never _have fun playing laser tag. I will always fail, get taunted…I felt tears sparking behind my eyes and blink them away.

Hamilton and Dan stood up and ran toward the painting. Dan started knocking on it.

"Madrigal!" Dan yelled, cheerily.

"Lucian," Natalie said softly from the couch she was sitting on with Ian.

"Ekaterina," Ted said, glancing at the painting.

"TOMAS!" The Holts yelled in perfect unison. I caught Amy covering her ears.

"Janus," Phoenix said. The painting swung open, revealing a dark place with lots of glow-in-the-dark lights.

Laser tag. Great. Let the torture begin.

_Ted_

I stepped inside the dark cavern, and immediately my white shirt began to glow. The lights that made everything white glow in the dark was really amazing, really…but it's a safe bet nobody wants to hear about it.

Reagan turned to me and grinned, her teeth shining blue white in the eerie light. "I love laser tag!"

I glance over at Sinead, who had always detested laser tag. Sure enough, she was standing there, her hands clenched into fists, looking like she was about to cry.

Ned nodded toward the heavy black vests hanging on the wall. "Ready to play…"

"…laser tag?" I yanked two vests off the wall and threw one to Reagan. "Here, Reagan."

I strapped the vest on, and fingered the gun hanging on it. Laser gun was a game of tactics, which the Ekaterina and Lucian excelled at.

Dan and Hamilton were currently running the show, handing out vests and everything. I saw Sinead strapping her vest on, a sour look on her face, and I exchanged a knowing look with Ned. I walked over to Ned.

"Do you think Sinead is…" Ned whispered to me.

"…okay?" I finished. "Hopefully. We know how much she hates…"

"…laser tag." Ned finished. We both glanced over at Sinead, worried looks on our faces.

"Okay, Jonah and Hamilton will be the team leaders!" Dan said. He was at the screen that controls everything in the laser tag arena. "They'll be choosing teams!"

Jonah and Hamilton stepped up to face all of us. We were lined up in a row against the glowing wall.

Let the first event of the Cahill Reunion begin.

_Ned_

Jonah nodded to Hamilton. "You first, buddy. Thomas was born before Jane."

Hamilton nodded, "All right, then." His eyes scan the room. I lean over to Madison. "I bet that he'll choose Sinead."

Madison shrugged. Hamilton's eyes scan the row of people, and then he finally said, "Sinead."

I heard stifled laughter coming from Madison, and I nudged Ted. Ted grinned at me, flashing his glow in the dark teeth. "I knew that was going to…"

"…happen." I turned back to the two captains. Dan was now giving Sinead's vest the colour Hamilton had chosen. Blue.

"Amy," Jonah said, and Amy looked pleased. I noticed Ian, who was standing next to Amy, narrow his eyes at Amy's pleased expression.

Amy's vest turned red. Natalie nudged Ian, who lowered his head and muttered something to her.

Hamilton coughed. "Reagan."

"Ian."

"Madison."

"Dan."

A pause as Hamilton surveyed the room, seeing who he would choose. Reagan whispered something to him, and he shrugged. "Ned."

"Natalie."

"Ted."

"Phoenix."

My vest was glowing blue now. Dan grinned, "Okay…let's play!" Our guns switched on and Dan slipped through the curtains leading into the laser tag arena.

_Hamilton_

Laser tag. One of my favourite games of all time. I suppose choosing Sinead for my team was a little out of character, but I _wanted _her on my team. For reasons I am not going to reveal.

My team burst into the arena, and my eyes swept the whole arena. Ramps going up, glowing white cubes to hide behind, slides, ladders, ropes…everything. "Team, spread out into twos!" I order.

To my surprise, Reagan grabbed Ted's arm and started pulling him toward a ramp, and Madison did the same with Ned, except they hid behind a cube. I glanced over at Sinead. Her lips are pressed tightly together, and her face is white. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's the matter?" I ask.

Sinead crumbles to the floor. "Our parents had us play laser tag for training, to see how we could come up with tactics. I was always horrible at it…" another tear.

I pulled her up. "Well, now you're with me, and you won't be. Come on." I lead her to a ladder, shrouded in shadow. "Okay, you climb up there. It has access to at least two stories of this arena, and nobody can see you. You can shoot people from there and you'll be fine." I hide behind a cube located near the ladder. "And I'll be right here. I'll shoot anyone who tries to shoot you."

With trembling hands, Sinead raises her gun.

Laser tag had officially started.

_Madison_

I grabbed Ned's arm and led him toward a cube. Then I saw Hamilton and Sinead in a corner of the first floor. "Ned, we need to have complete coverage of all floors. What's the fastest way to get through the floors without getting detected?"

"How do you know I'm Ned?" He asked, glancing down at me.

"Um…you rub your head whenever you're thinking," I said. "And you're the one wearing the watch."

Ned looks down at the watch on his wrist. "Yes, I see." His eyes flit around the arena, calculating, "Well…I suppose the ladders could get you up to the second floor. You could also use the ramps. And, since you're a Tomas, you could climb the ropes strung across the ceiling also."

"Can you climb ropes?"

"No."

"Fine. Ladders, then. To the top floor," I grip my laser gun and Ned and I run toward the nearest ladder. I start climbing, Ned right behind me. We climb right up to the top floor…where Dan's standing, waiting.

Dan raises his gun and shoots both me and Ned. Our laser guns stopped working and our vests shivered.

"Hey, Madison, Ted/Ned." Dan grinned and sped away.

I jumped onto the fourth floor, and Ned followed. We ran after Dan, and eventually I caught him skidding down a ramp. I shoot, and miss. Ned shoots, too…and he gets Dan.

"Good job," I grin at him. Ned's panting, and he seems breathless.

"Let's go find…Natalie…" Ned said, "…she has wet stilettos…she might be able to chase…on them…but the wetness…will make her slow."

"Also, she probably doesn't understand the concept of laser tag," I add, and Ned and I run down the ramp. "Natalie, then."

"What if she shoots us with her dart gun?" I finally said, after minutes of hunting for Natalie.

"Didn't Ian confiscate her poisons?"

"Oh, yeah." Suddenly, a squeaking sound came from behind a cube.

Ned points his gun at the cube. "Natalie?"

She darts out from the cube and smiles. "Hey, Ned," she presses the trigger, and Ned's lights on his vest went out. I aimed for Natalie, but she dodged my laser.

"I've been tailing you," I noticed that Natalie was _bare foot _and her stilettos were hanging from her belt. "I heard what you said. Don't underestimate a Lucian," another shot and my lights went out.

"Daniel!" Natalie yelled, running away from us.

Laser tag…oh, how fun you can be.

_Reagan_

Ted and I ran into trouble immediately after I pulled him up onto the ramp.

Ian slipped out of a shadowy corner and directed his gun at us. One of Jonah's songs was pounding from the speakers. "Hello, Holt, Starling."

My vest vibrated violently and my gun deactivated. Ted squinted as his vest deactivated along with his gun. "I'm sorry; I can't really see all that well in the dark. It's all a mass of shadows. I have special contacts for this, and I don't have them on."

"It's okay," I said, "Okay, Ted, you stay on the second floor. Shoot anyone who comes into range of you. Try to keep a low profile."

Ted nodded and darted behind a cube. I grabbed a rope and hoisted myself up. Soon, I was navigating the ropes strung across the ceiling. I got off at the third level-and Jonah was waiting for me, with Amy.

Amy raised her gun and tried to shoot me. I dodged. I started running away from Jonah and Amy and banged right into Phoenix. Great…I was practically surrounded. I raised my gun and managed to shoot Amy, but Phoenix and Jonah both shot me at the same time. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, all three of them were gone.

_Jonah_

As soon as we got into the arena, Phoenix, Dan, Ian, and Natalie disappeared. I was stuck with Amy.

"I-I don't r-really know how to play l-laser t-tag that well," she stuttered.

"Nobody does, it takes practice." I grabbed her arm and dragged her up to the third level. "Basically, we'll just wait somewhere, and shoot everyone in range. Or we go hunting for them. Your choice."

"Could we wait?"

Eventually, Amy and I had shot a bunch of people down. Our team was in the lead by, like, _one _shot, and there were three minutes left in the game.

Phoenix appeared from behind a box. "Jonah, Amy, we need to hide and keep the lead we have. Where are Dan and Natalie and Ian?"

"If I were a Lucian where would I hide, outside, outside, oh, yeah, think outside the box," I rapped and Phoenix and Amy looked at me weird. "Uh…Jonah."

"Yeah?"

"Not the time to be rapping."

"Okay."

"DAN! NATALIE!" Phoenix yelled, and a dark figure dropped down from the ceiling.

"Ropes are devastatingly easy to manipulate, aren't they? They're the best tactic." A British accent, a female one. Definitely Natalie.

She stepped into the light, and I noticed she had her stilettos dangling from her belt. "Daniel is coming."

"It's D-A-N DAN!" Dan dropped down from the ceiling, panting. "Get that into your head! DAN!"

"Yes, of course, Daniel." Natalie smirked.

Daniel-_Dan _groaned, as a figure came running up the ramp, being chased by Ian. "Sinead!" A shot and Sinead was down.

Suddenly, the whole arena was flooded in bright light. "Game over. Red team wins."

_Phoenix_

Boy was I wrong when I thought a Cahill Reunion was going to be boring. Laser tag was…the most vicious game of laser tag I had ever played. I was tailed and protected by people I didn't even know were there-I was informed later those were the sneakiest and most cunning of the family, Lucians, or Ian and Natalie-I was chased by people until my heart was pounding and my hair was sticking to my face with sweat-the most athletic of the family, the Tomas, or the Holts-snuck up on by masterminds of planning-Ekaterinas, or the Starlings-and protected by Jonah by the most creative tactics. Honestly, this was the least boring reunion I had ever been to.

After laser tag, we all went back to the sitting room. Amy picked up the notebook again, _"'After laser tag, you might want to freshen up. Your rooms are as follows…'"_

-End-

**A/N: Was that considered a cliffhanger? I don't know…but I haven't got the rooms planned out yet. Yeah…but I will soon! Hope you enjoyed this laser tag chapter :)**

**Please review and tell me what you think! This is true-more reviews equal more writing. I might even have the next chapter to you by tomorrow morning or even tonight, (doubtful). **

**SO REVIEW! And to all the people who've reviewed so far…thank you, thank you so much! Your reviews make me want to get up and dance! **

**This chapter was sort of long…so I hoped you enjoyed it. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Ah, here's another chapter. I seem to be full of creativity today…this chapter's kind of cliché, but I love reading stuff like this, and I REALLY ENJOYED writing it. Please don't flame it…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues. If I did, well…you'll see if I ever own the 39 Clues.**

_Amy_

My eyes scan the room assignments, and then I read them.

"'_Suites. The girls are in one suite, and the boys in the other. The girls suite has three bedrooms, the boys have four. The room assignments are as follows:_

_Girls: _

_Room One: Amy and Sinead_

_Room Two: Natalie_

_Room Three: Madison and Reagan_

_Boys:_

_Room One: Ian_

_Room Two: Dan and Phoenix_

_Room Three: Ned and Ted_

_Room Four: Jonah and Hamilton. _

_The girls' suite is located on the fourth floor, the boys' suite on the third floor. All your luggage should already be there. Freshen up. There is a kitchen in each of your suites. There should be food for you to make dinner there._'"

Everyone looked someone pleased about their room assignments. I stood up, "Let's go, then."

The girls ran out of the sitting room first. We all piled into one glass elevator, which took us up to the third floor. The third floor was…classic. It had floor-to-ceiling windows as walls, and smooth stone hallways. There was a large, glossy, double door with a plaque beside it reading, 'girls' suite.'

Sinead opened the door, "I wonder what Fiske has planned for us…"

The door opened into a living room, which had three doors leading from it, and one doorway leading to a modern kitchen. The living room had a floor-to-ceiling window with a sea view, a large flat-screen TV, and white leather chairs and a fluffy white fur carpet. Sinead opened a door with a plaque on it saying _Amy and Sinead._ "Amy and I call this room."

Natalie takes the room next to ours, and Madison and Reagan take the one across from Natalie's.

The room Sinead chose was decorated nicely. It had Sinead's and Amy's luggage in it. There were twin beds with white bedding, a large window overlooking the sea with thin curtains and blew in the breeze. There was a long bookshelf underneath the window, stocked with books, and a door leading to a modern, shiny bathroom stocked with everything a girl could possibly need.

"Could I have the bed next to the window?" I asked. It was closer to all the books, and closer to the beautiful view and everything.

"Fine. Could I use the bathroom first?" Sinead was pulling her pajamas out of her suitcase.

"That'll be fine," I replied, looking at the bookshelf. I pulled out a book. _The Secret Garden-_signed, original edition! Oh my god…this was, like, the ultimate treasure! I sat down on my bed and began to read.

Sinead laughed, "Can't keep away from the books, Amy?" She went into the bathroom and just before she shut the door, she said, "I wonder what we're going to do tonight."

_Dan_

The boys' suite was made up of a living room, four bedrooms, and a kitchen. That's all you need to know. The room I shared with Phoenix was awesome. The walls were black, with ninja weapons hanging from them, and there was a whole collection of guitars hung over Phoenix's bed, and a keyboard built into the wall beside his bed. There was a gigantic TV screen with all the gaming consoles in the world, stocked with all of my favourite games.

Fiske had pulled through-maybe this Cahill Reunion wouldn't be so bad. What could be bad, with a room like this? I touched one of the ninja stars hanging from the wall. "NINJAS!"

Phoenix plucked a guitar off the wall and started strumming. I had to admit, the guy was pretty good.

"This is awesome," I plucked a ninja sword off the wall. "FISKE, IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, I LOVE YOU! THIS IS AN AWESOME ROOM!"

I put the sword back as Phoenix started singing. Then I suddenly remembered something-poison ten thousand fifty two. The truth poison…oh, if I got my hands on something like that…

Ian. Ian would have it in his room for sure. I slip out of the AWESOME NINJA ROOM and walk over to the door marked 'Ian.' I cracked the door open, and heard the sound of taps running. Good. Ian was in his bathroom.

I stepped into the room and my eyes widened. He had a _mirror _for a ceiling, plush red carpeting, and a gigantic bed. On the wall across from his bed was a wall of dart guns and poisons, just there for him to grab. I walk over to the wall of poisons and my eyes lock on the one bottle on the platform, in the middle. A bottle that had a liquid in it, tinged blue. A label in front of it read, 'Poison Number Ten Hundred Fifty Two. Properties-making the person reveal all their secrets.'

I grab the bottle and tried to yank it off the platform, but it didn't budge. Of course Ian would have _some _security for it…

I pulled it again, and still it didn't budge. Honestly? I just started pulling and pulling and pulling…and on the thirty ninth time, I managed to pull it off. Thirty nine tries before it could work.

Thirty nine clues.

I open the bottle and inspected the stuff in it, and from a drawer in Ian's room, pulled out a glass vial. I poured some of the poison into it, and then placed the bottle back on the platform.

I wonder what will happen if this got into everyone's food…

_Ian_

After my shower, I was feeling…refreshed. I put on a pair of grey silk pajama pants and walked out into my room. It was satisfactory…Fiske had done a good job preparing it for me. I sat down on my bed and started thinking.

Amy and Jonah. What did she have going on with that…idiot boy? Amy didn't deserve that git. She deserved…someone…like…

I stopped myself before I could finish the thought. Just then, Hamilton burst into my room. "Ian, dinner."

"Have you ever heard of knocking, Hamilton?"

"Yeah, I just don't like doing it. Now come and eat dinner! Apparently Jonah knows how to cook…"

I stood up and walked outside and into the living room. On the coffee table in the living room was a bunch of dishes. Eggs, shrimp, and a bunch of ridiculous American candies and junk food. I sat down next to Phoenix, who I didn't really mind all that much. I picked up a glass of iced tea and started drinking.

Jonah picked up a bag of those American junk food chips, and opened it. "So, Ian," he said, popping one of the chips into his mouth. "I have a question for you. Do you like Amy?"

I nearly choked on my ice tea. "Pardon?" I asked, gasping for breath.

"Do you like Amy?" Hamilton repeated Jonah's question. He smiled. "We _really _don't need to know the answer to that question…we _all _know the answer…except for maybe Phoenix."

I went into a coughing fit. "No!" I finally spluttered, "I do not like…Amy!"

Jonah and Hamilton exchanged knowing looks while Daniel looked like he might throw up. "The Cobra and my sister…ew." Phoenix just looked puzzled.

"Oh, stop being in denial, Ian." Jonah said, "I don't know _what _happened between you two, but you two are totally in love. It's what the heart desires but the mind runs away from," he added dramatically.

I gagged, which was very un-Kabra like, but I couldn't help it. "Jonah, you have a twisted mind."

Hamilton rolled his eyes, "No, Jonah's right. You're in denial."

"What is this? Universal pick on Ian day?" I protest, picking up a cracker with tuna over it.

Daniel's eyes lit up, "Is there a day such as that?"

"No!" I cried, biting into the cracker.

Daniel smirked. It was pretty impressive, but not as good as the Kabra smirk. "We'll see what poison ten hundred fifty two has to say about that." He pulls a vial out of his pocket.

I recoil from it. Hamilton looks at Daniel, "What is that?"

"It makes Ian reveal all his little secrets to us," Daniel looked positively evil.

Hamilton and Jonah's eyes lit up, and they both stand up and walk over to me. Hamilton holds me down while Jonah pries my mouth open. Daniel stands over me, holding the vial of the poison. He pours some in my mouth and it trickles down my throat, tasteless. When I get up, everyone's looking at me.

"Now," Jonah said, rubbing his hands together, a satisfied expression on his face. "Ian, do you like Amy?"

The words slipped out of my mouth of their own accord. "I…"

_Natalie_

After, as Fiske put it, 'freshening up,' all the girls gathered in the living room of the suite, wearing their pajamas. Madison and Reagan had went into the kitchen and came out with a bunch of cucumber sandwiches, which I suppose would be all right, and dozens of those bags of fattening American chips. The food was currently sitting on the coffee table, along with some drinks.

I reach out and pick up a cucumber sandwich and bite into it. It tasted all right, though the cucumber could've been a bit fresher.

"Let's play a game called, 'Answer.'" Sinead said, sitting down on the couch cross-legged.

Amy shrugged as she picked up a glass of ice tea. "Sounds good. How does it go?"

"Well…"Sinead said, "We go around in a circle and ask each other questions. And we have to answer them all truthfully."

Madison opened a bag of chips, "That will be…interesting."

"But how will we guarantee what we say is the truth?" Reagan asked, picking up a bottle of something called Coke.

I thought for a moment, then stood up and dashed into my room. I came back with a vial of poison number ten hundred fifty two. At least Ian hadn't confiscated _that._ "Poison number ten hundred fifty two," I smile sweetly.

Amy's face turned white, "the truth serum?"

"Did my dear brother tell you that? Yes. The truth serum. Hold out your drinks," I ordered, and everyone held out whatever they were drinking at the time. I poured some of the liquid into Amy's ice tea, Reagan's Coke, Madison's Pepsi, and Sinead's water. I poured some into my water, too.

Sinead held up her glass in a toast. We clinked our cups/bottles/cans together and drank.

Well…Sinead's game of 'Answers,' should be…interesting, as Madison says.

Especially with poison number ten hundred fifty two.

_Sinead_

"I'll ask a question first. Uh…Madison. Who's the hottest boy in this house?" I said, turning toward Madison.

Madison's eyes grew wide and she clamped a hand over her mouth. A muffled sound came from her mouth. Reagan yanked her hand off her mouth. "Come on, answer, Madison."

"…Ned," Madison said quietly, but we all caught it.

It sent me reeling back in shock. _Ned?_ My brother, who used to have headaches constantly? Madison thought _Ned _was the hottest boy in the whole house, even with Hamilton…never mind.

"Ned?" Amy raised her eyebrows and Madison blushed. I never thought I would see the day when Madison blushed.

"Yes," Madison finally said, "Now…Sinead. Who do you like? You know, like, _like _like."

Oh, great. Thanks a lot, Madison. Now I finally have to review my secret. The name was trying to slip out of my mouth, but I wouldn't let it. I wouldn't let his name pass my mouth.

"Yes?" Natalie raised her eyebrows at me. Everyone was looking at me expectantly.

"Hamilton," the name mixed with the air, so quiet that nobody heard it.

"Yes?" Natalie repeated, still looking at me.

"I said it; I'm not saying it again." I replied, and everyone sighed in disappointment. "Now, Reagan…who would you like to date someday? A Cahill."

"Your brother," she finally said, and we all looked at her, confused. I was shocked. Madison thought _Ned _was hot…and Reagan said she wanted to date my brother someday?

"Which one?" Amy asked, drinking her iced tea. It had truth serum in it, but I decided not to remind her. "Ned or Ted?"

"Ted."

"Wow…" I said, rubbing my forehead. "Who would've thought?"

"They are, like, _six years _older than you, though!" Amy laughed, and Madison and Reagan sent death glares at her.

Reagan sighed, and then turned to Natalie. "Natalie…what's something you don't want anyone to know?"

I saw Natalie's amber eyes grow panicked and her tanned fingers grip the sides of the chair she was sitting on. Her lips were pressed tight together and her face was white. "It's…it's…" she began.

_Ted_

We all look at Ian, whose face had begun to grow pained. He was trying to hold back the answer to the question. Finally, he said, "No, I don't like Amy."

Dan let out a breath, "Good. For a moment there I thought that the _Cobra _actually liked my sister…" He gulped some more Coke.

"Okay, let me re-phrase that," Jonah said, looking at Ian, his eyes narrowed. "Do you _love _Amy?"

"…yes."

Dan did a spit-take.

_Ned_

"Ah-ha!" Hamilton pointed to Ian, triumphant.

"I knew it!" Jonah grinned, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Ian's face was bright red. He didn't say anything, only sipped some more ice tea. Phoenix started cleaning up the Coke Dan had sprayed over the coffee table.

"Well, technically…" Ted began,

"…it was very predictable…" I continue.

"…because probability and science and studies…"

"…state that the people who avoid each other the most…"

"…will eventually fall in love." Ted finished. He paused, "Amy Kabra. That does have a nice…"

"…ring to it," I agreed. Ian turned even redder.

Dan was choking. "This is revolting! Revolting!"

"May I remind you, Daniel," Ian said, his teeth clenched together, "That you started it by making me drink poison number ten hundred fifty two."

"But I never thought it would turn out like _this!_" Dan protested. "And it's DAN, not Daniel, Cobra."

"You never thought it will turn out like this?" Hamilton was staring at Dan. "Dan, are you _blind? _It's so obvious Ian likes Amy and Amy likes him back! Though I do wonder how this all got started…"

"I got it all on camera!" Phoenix said, triumphantly, holding up his phone.

"WHAT?" Ian jumped up. "No! Give that phone to me!"

"Give it to me, Phoenix!" Jonah grabbed the phone from Phoenix. "This is gold!"

Ted holds out his hand. "Give that to me, and I'll make sure that video stays on the…"

"…face of this Earth forever," I finished. Ted and I grin at each other.

Jonah throws it to me, and I catch it. Ted grabs the phone and extracts the memory card from it. I hold out my wrist and Ted inserts the memory card into my watch. Immediately, two options come up on the surface of my watch. _Download Material, View Material._ I clicked download material, searched through the different videos on the card, and clicked the one of Ian. The download was complete and the card out and back into Phoenix's card in less than thirty seconds.

Everyone stared at us, "Wow…Ned, Ted. That was…fast."

"We have fast reflexes…" Ted said.

"…for building inventions." I finished.

"Now, what do you say we go to the girls' room and show this to Amy?" Jonah grinned and stood up.

"NOOOO!" Ian yelled, but Hamilton held him back.

Jonah, Ted, and I walk out of our suite and onto an elevator, en route to the girls' suite.

Amy Kabra…I wasn't kidding, it does have a nice ring to it.

_Hamilton_

I held Ian back as he attempted to lunge for the door. "I CAN'T LET THEM SHOW THAT TO AMY! HAMILTON! LET ME GO! OR ELSE I WILL SUE YOUR FAMILY! AND EVERYTHING RELATED TO YOUR FAMILY! AND THE WHOLE TOMAS BRANCH! AND AFRICA! AND…"

I ignore Ian's yells and turned to Phoenix, who was throwing the paper towels he had used to clean up Dan's mess away.

"Are all Cahill Reunions like this?" Phoenix asked, nodding toward the enraged Lucian.

"No. Most of them are so much crazier," I reply casually.

"AND I WILL SUE…YOUR DOG! AND THE COLOUR PURPLE! AND SWEATSUITS! AND…"

"I was wrong when I thought this was going to be boring," Phoenix grinned.

"Phoenix, Cahill Reunions are _never _boring. We could burn up an entire country when we're united." I replied, "Don't ever think they're going to be boring."

"I WILL SUE THE CELL PHONE COMPANY THAT MAKES PHOENIX'S CELLPHONE! AND THE JANUS BRANCH! AND THE EKATERINA BRANCH! AND ALL THE BLUEPRINTS THAT TED AND NED DESIGNED! AND THE SURGEONS THAT GAVE TED AND NED SURGERIES! AND…"

"Is he really going to sue all those things and people?" Phoenix asked, nodding toward Ian, who was still trying to run to the door.

"Nah, it's just his rant whenever he's upset."

Phoenix laughed, "I will never understand Cahills."

"You're a Cahill. But it takes some time to get used to this…mad family of yours."

Phoenix and I smile at each other.

"AND I WILL SUE THIS ISLAND! AND EVERYONE RELATED TO THIS ISLAND! AND THE JETS THAT BROUGHT US HERE! AND THE PILOTS THAT DROVE US HERE! AND THE PEOPLE WHO PROVIDED US WITH THE FOOD…"

_Madison_

Natalie's face was totally white. She rocked back and forth in her chair. "It's…that…I…I…" her British accent, normally so smooth and velvety, was clipped and panicked. "I…I…"

"Yes?" Sinead prompted, raising her eyebrows. "It's that you…"

"…like the colour blind peasant's brother," Natalie finished. She took a deep breath and drank a sip of water.

"Colour blind peasant's brother?" I was thoroughly baffled. Who was the _colour blind peasant?_

Reagan looked as confused as I was, "Colour blind peasant? Who is that?"

Amy and Sinead exchanged glances. "You like…my brother?" Amy was looking in disbelief at Natalie. "The great Natalie Kabra likes my dweeb of a brother _Dan Cahill._"

"DAN?" Madison and I shriek in unison.

Just then, Dan bursts into the suite. "Who called my name?"

_Reagan_

Wow…that was eerily on time. It was almost as if it was rehearsed. Natalie's face had turned white again, and she was still gripping the sides of her chair for support. "Oh, hey, Dan," I said carelessly.

"Amy…" Jonah's eyes had a mischievous expression on his face. Ted and Ned burst into the suite behind Jonah and Dan. "We have something to show you."

"Wait, what are you doing here?" Amy asked, standing up and crossing her arms across her chest. "Do you know how to _knock?_ You could at least have _knocked!_"

Sinead was drinking her drink, and I took a sip of my Coke. "Yeah, I agree with Amy. Not with the 'you could've knocked,' part, but _why are you here?_"

Ted grinned at me, "Reagan…this is something…"

"…you do not want to miss…" Ned continued.

"…we watched it on the elevator…"

"…it's so accurate, it goes from Dan shoving the poison…"

"…down Ian's mouth…"

"…to when Ian…"

"Wait, wait, PAUSE!" Amy threw her hands up in the air. "Dan, you _poisoned _Ian? You shoved poison down Ian's mouth?"

"Aw, are you worried, Mrs. Kabra?" Dan raised his eyebrows at her. Amy flushed.

"I am NOT Mrs. Kabra."

"Of course you're not. You're a love alien."

"I thought you were over that, Dan!"

"COULD WE JUST WATCH THE VIDEO?" Jonah yelled, and everyone was quiet. "Good," Jonah said, satisfied. "Ned, the video, please."

Ned held out his hand and a hologram projected out of his watch. It was a video. And the video started playing.

_Jonah_

I inspected Amy's face very carefully. She looked curious as she examined the hologram video. It started when Ian was sitting down on the couch and Dan was coming over with the poison. Amy's eyes widened when she saw Ian was shirtless, and I bit back the urge to burst out laughing.

The video me started talking, 'okay, Ian, do you like Amy?'

Amy stared at the hologram intently. Everyone was totally transfixed on it.

'No, I don't like Amy,' Ian replied in the hologram. I saw Amy slump and an expression like disappointment crossed her face.

'Let me re-phrase that,' I said in the hologram, 'do you _love _Amy?'

The girls gasped, and Amy looked at the hologram, her eyes narrowed.

"…yes."

"Oh my god!" Sinead clapped her hands together, "Your crush just admitted he loves you! How romantic!"

"Sinead, since when did you become…" Ted began.

"…a sappy romantic?" Ned finished.

Sinead flushed. "I am NOT a sappy romantic, I never became one."

"Wait, Amy, you have a crush on Ian?" Dan looked like as if he might throw up.

"No I do NOT have a crush on Ian!" Amy yelled. "Sinead, stop pouring out random fake facts!"

"Oh, we'll see. Amy…do you have a crush on my brother?" Natalie asked Amy, an evil smirk on her face.

"She drank some of the poison you gave Ian." Madison explained to me, seeing my questioning look.

We all turned to look at Amy.

"…yes. I do." Amy said, softly.

But we all heard it.

_Phoenix_

Jonah, Ted, and Ned came back to the suite looking triumphant. Dan came back looking green, and he dashed off to our room the second he stepped through the door. Hamilton was still holding back Ian, who had stopped ranting about all the people/things he would sue.

"We showed Amy," Jonah grinned, and Ian slumped down in a chair, defeated.

"And?" I prompted Jonah. "What happened?"

"We gave Amy that truth poison thingy and she said she liked Ian back."

-End-

**A/N: THREE CHAPTERS! Three. Chapters. In. One. Day. This made me so exhausted…and they're all pretty long, too! You are all very lucky people! Three chapters!**

**Review and tell me if you like this story. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, and maybe you'll get a new chapter tomorrow…just maybe...REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is shorter than my other chapters…and maybe less interesting? I don't know…anyway, I still worked really hard on it, and I hope I don't disappoint.**

**Read on…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues or One Direction's songs.**

_Amy_

I slumped down on a chair. "Curse poison number ten hundred fifty two."

Sinead was practically jumping up and down, squealing, "Oh my god, that's so sweet, oh my god, that's so sweet!"

"Sinead, shut up, Ned and Ted were right. You _do _sound like a sappy romantic," I snapped. "Why did the Lucians have to invent a poison like poison number ten hundred fifty two? This is going to be the end of me. And why did I even say I liked Ian? I thought you couldn't lie after you drank that poison! I DON'T LIKE IAN!"

Madison and Reagan sniggered, "Yes you do, Amy," Reagan said, "It's so obvious you two were meant for each other."

No, Ian and I _weren't _meant for each other. He was a heartbreaking, backstabbing jerk who cared about nothing but Armani and money, and I wasn't. We were NOT meant for each other! Curse that poison.

Natalie laughed, and we all turned to look at her. "What?" I asked.

"Amy, the poison makes you reveal _all _your secrets-even the ones that you keep from _yourself_." Natalie smiled, "So that means, deep down, that you like my brother."

"So, if the poison does that-does it mean you like Dan?" I grinned widely as Natalie shrank back and turned red.

"NO!" Natalie protested. "I so do not like Dan!"

"Now you see how I feel," I smiled sweetly at her and turned back to the food on the coffee table.

"Sinead, who _do _you like?" Madison turned to Sinead.

"Natalie, how long before the poison wears off?" Sinead asked, biting into a cucumber sandwich.

"It probably already has," Natalie replied, taking another cucumber sandwich.

"Thank god." I pushed my poisoned iced tea away and grabbed a bottle of Coke instead.

"Sinead, could you at least tell us who you like? The rest of us spilled our secrets and you said it so quietly nobody could hear! It's not fair." Reagan said, popping a handful of chips into her mouth.

"No!" Sinead said forcefully, "No!"

Madison mumbled something under her breath that sounded oddly like, "We'll find out soon…"

_Dan_

Revolting. The Cobra liking my sister and the sister liking him back? MY WORSE NIGHTMARE COMES TRUE!

I kneel over the sink and throw up all my dinner, grumbling, "Ew, ew, ew, ew!"

Phoenix came into our room and opened the bathroom door. "Uh, Dan? You all right?"

"No, I'm NOT all right! The COBRA likes my SISTER and my SISTER likes the COBRA!" I took a deep breath, "I've dreamed about this…and I've always woke up SCREAMING!"

"Dan, what do you have against the Kabras?" Phoenix asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Against them? Other than the fact that they tried to kill Amy and me multiple times and always insulted us and all…nothing!" I smile cheerily, "We're all cool! I'm cool with a guy who tried to kill Amy, like, five times, _liking _Amy! And Amy liking him back!"

"Well, didn't Hamilton try to kill you? And now you're friends. Jonah, too."

"But the Kabras are different. They're _Lucians. _They're masters in sneakiness, stealth, charming, backstabbing, and all that. They love _betraying _people. It's in their NATURE!" I grabbed a towel and wiped my face with it.

Phoenix scratched his head, "I still don't understand this family. At all."

_Ian_

Amy knows that I love her. Is this how people feel when I use poison number ten hundred fifty two against them? I flop down on my bed and stare at the mirror on my ceiling.

I suddenly remembered who had _invented _poison number fifty five. Natalie. Natalie and I invented it, one day, while playing around in the poisons lab.

How strange that I wanted to kill the poison that had once been my best friend.

_Natalie_

Daniel Cahill…

Daniel Cahill…

DANIEL CAHILL! How did I like him? The poison must've malfunctioned. I did not like _Daniel Cahill. _The idea was ludicrous, too crazy to be true. Me, the great Natalie Kabra, like the orphan boy _Daniel Cahill?_

I stood up and walked across the squashy pink carpet in my room. I went over to the wall that had all my poisons hanging up on it. My hand immediately went to a small pink vial in the very corner. Poison number twenty seven. Love potion.

Had someone slipped this in my food? I could not possibly like _Daniel Cahill, _the idiot boy, the stupid American git, the ninja-obsessed so-called Master who couldn't even do a proper karate kick.

He did have sparkling, shining jade eyes, though, and the way he talked on about things other people couldn't care less about was rather endearing…

NOW I SOUND LIKE IAN! Stop, Natalie, stop! The poison had just malfunctioned. You do not like _Daniel Cahill, _of all people. It wasn't possible, it wasn't right.

But if a serum that could make a person all powerful existed…how crazy was this in comparison?

_Sinead_

Hamilton. If anyone found out that an Ekaterina had something for a Tomas, it would be the end of me, it would be a disgrace to the entire Ekaterina branch.

Though, every night, I dream about being with him. It's odd, really, it makes me feel like maybe I've drank one of the Lucians' poisons, but I haven't. It's just my mind, wandering off, making me want something I can never have.

What am I thinking? I don't want Hamilton; it doesn't really matter if I could never have him. It doesn't matter at all, not in the least bit.

I flop down on my bed. Amy's on the other bed, bent over a book, reading.

"Amy…have you ever thought that your mind was crazy?"

Amy looked up from her book, "I think my mind is crazy now. I mean, I DON'T LIKE IAN! Can't everyone just get that into their heads? I don't like Ian!"

"Amy, you're in denial. _Everyone _can see there's something going on between you two, even Madison and Reagan! My question is…how did it start?" I played with one of the pillows on my bed.

Amy stiffened, and then sat up and closed her book. She hugged her pillow to her chest. "Rocks…" she murmured, "Korea…a cave…Ian."

"I'm sorry, I'm an _Ekaterina, _and I can't connect what you just said there." Rocks, Korea, a cave, and Ian? How did that make any sense?

Amy sighed, "We were looking for the third clue or something along the lines of that. You were in the hospital. We were en route to Japan before the Kabras stole our plane tickets. After being attacked by ninjas with ninja stars and twisting my ankle, the Kabras formed an alliance with us. And Ian kept on flirting with me, and charming me, and I fell for him…completely. Then we were looking for the clue together, and it was in this cave, and when the rocks started to fall, Ian protected me from them, and…and…" She paused, as if deciding whether to say something, "And then, after finding the clue and giving them a fake hint to the next clue, they left us in the cave to die."

"Come on, there must be something more than that to create that sort of tension between you two. Charming and flirting can only go so far, Amy." I paused, "Would you like me to go get poison number ten hundred fifty two?"

Amy groaned and buried her face in a pillow.

_Ted_

I fingered the microchip in my hand. The dream microchip.

"Should we call…" Ned began.

"…Madison and Reagan?" I picked up my cell phone, "Yes."

Ned grabbed my cell phone and started dialing Madison's number. "Hello, Madison?"

"Put it on speakerphone," I said, programming the microchip to send all the information to my tablet computer.

Ned pressed a button, and Madison's voice filled the room. "Hello. Is this Ned or Ted…?"

"Ned," Ned replied, "Could I talk to Reagan?"

Reagan's voice cut in, "Hi. What do you two want?"

Ned paused for a moment, "Reagan, do you still have the microchip Ted gave you? The one that records dreams?"

"Um, yes."

"We want you to plant it on Sinead, tonight. Find some way to stick the microchip to her temple, okay? The video will be sent to Ted's tablet, and we can watch it tomorrow."

"No, we want to watch it TONIGHT, when they're dreaming it," Madison interrupted.

"Fine," I yelled from across the room. "Tonight, then. Meet us in the sitting room after you've planted the microchip on Sinead's _temple._ We'll do it to Hamilton…somehow."

"Okay!" The twins said cheerily, and then hung up.

I held up the chip, "Time to plant it on Hamilton."

_Ned_

Ted handed the chip to me, "You do it."

"Are you serious? I don't want the Holt beating _me _up! _You _do it."

"No!"

"You!"

"You!"

"You!" I threw the chip back to Ted.

"No!" Ted handed it to me. "You do it."

"Or we could…" I started.

"…get Jonah to do it." Ted finished.

"He seems to love…" I began.

"…matchmaking," Ted grinned.

Ted and I ran out of our room holding the chip. Jonah's sitting in the living room, talking to Hamilton. I grabbed the chip from Ted. "Forget about Jonah…"

"…Hamilton's right there."

I walked over to Hamilton and began fixing his hair.

"What are you DOING?" Hamilton jumped up. "What do you think you're doing, Ekaterina?"

"Uh…fixing your…" Ted started.

"…hair?" I suggested. "It's sort of…"

"…messy."

"Since when were Ekaterinas _hairdressers?_" Hamilton demanded.

"Since…" Ted began.

"…now?" I suggested meekly. "Sit down, Hamilton."

Hamilton sat down and I started fixing his hair, pressing the microchip to his temple. The microchip flashed red and then blended in with Hamilton's skin. Jonah's eyes widened when he saw the microchip flashing red, and he glanced at Ted.

Ted went over to Jonah and whispered some sort of explanation in his ear.

"What are you doing? Why is Ted whispering? Why does Jonah look so shocked?" Hamilton asked, his hands going up to his hair.

I pull a lock of his hair over to the side. "There, done, bye!"

Ted and I shot back into our room and Ted grabbed his tablet. "This is going to be fun."

_Hamilton_

Well that was…rather weird. Ned and Ted coming in and claiming to fix my hair, Ned not even fixing my hair, then them running into their room and out again, and then out of the suite.

As soon as they were gone, Jonah burst out laughing.

"What?" I asked him.

Jonah choked on his words, "Nothing. I was just…thinking…that…never mind." He said quickly, grabbing a random magazine off the coffee table and opening it.

Well, that was even weirder.

_Madison_

I burst into Sinead and Amy's room. They're lying on their beds, talking about something, and they both looked up once I banged in there.

"Uh…Madison, what are you doing here?" Amy asked, throwing the pillow she was holding up in the air.

"I was wondering…if you had any…flashlights I could borrow." I said, making up a random excuse. "Do you?"

Sinead stood up and walked over to her bag. "Yeah…here's a small one. Why do you need a flashlight?"

"Reagan likes it completely dark when we're talking, but I like it when you shine a flashlight underneath your chin, like telling horror stories." I smile, and both Sinead and Amy look at me weirdly.

Sinead walked over to me and handed me a tiny purple flashlight. "Here."

I reach up and press the microchip to Sinead's temple, and it flashed red. "Thanks!" I turn it around in my hand, surprised that Sinead hadn't commented on me suddenly going up and pressing her temple. "Is it some kind of Ekaterina technology?"

"Well, there are ten different settings," Sinead began, her eyes lighting up. "There's a UV light, a normal light…" she lost herself in explaining all the different properties of the flashlight.

Once an Ekaterina, always an Ekaterina.

_Reagan_

Madison finally came back from Sinead and Amy's room, after, like, ages.

"What took you so long?" I whisper to her irritably.

"Sinead started explaining the different properties of the flashlight," Madison rolled her eyes.

"Fine, now let's go! I can't wait to see their dreams…" I smile, thinking of what Hamilton could dream.

"Or you can't wait to see Ted," Madison grinned, opening the door of our room.

I flushed red, "Hey, you can't wait to see _Ned_."

"Fine, whatever, let's go," Madison said, as we walked out of the suite and into an elevator. It took us down to the ground floor and we went to the sitting room.

Ned and Ted are already sitting there, Ted holding a tablet. "They should be…" Ted said.

"…asleep soon," Ned finished.

"The chip releases…"

"…gases that makes the person sleep."

I sit down next to Ted and he turns the tablet on. Currently, the screen's black. It's separated into half, and one half says 'Sinead,' the other half says, 'Hamilton.'

Suddenly, the Sinead side flickers to life.

"Guys, Sinead's dreaming," I announce, and Madison and Ned come running over. We all bend over the tablet and watch.

In Sinead's dream, she's sitting on a rock in a park, and it's sunny, and everyone's running around, and she's alone. And then, all of the sudden, Hamilton appears out of nowhere.

'Sinead,' the dream Hamilton says, walking toward Sinead.

Dream Sinead looks up and her eyes light up. Hamilton sits down beside her on the rock, and pulls her onto his lap, brushing a lock of auburn hair off her face. He sets his lips beside her ear. And then Hamilton starts singing, rocking Sinead back and forth.

'You're insecure, don't know what for

You turn heads when you walk through the door-or-or

Don't need makeup, to cover up, being the way that you are is enough…'

Dream Sinead smiles and Dream Hamilton tightens his hold around her.

Then the 'Sinead' side of the screen turns black.

"Aw, that's so sweet," I'm smiling, and so is Madison. Ted and Ned are looking at us weirdly.

"What?" Madison demands, staring at Ned and Ted.

"I never thought I'd see the day when a Holt said, 'oh, that's so sweet,' to something romantic." Ted shook his head, and I swatted him on the arm.

"Oh, so you can't think we can be girly." I whine, and Ted grins.

"I just noticed that Ted said a whole sentence without Ned completing it!" Madison laughed, "I thought I'd never see the day!"

"Oh, so you don't think we can be independent," Ned rolled his eyes, copying my words.

Madison swatted Ned on the arm.

"Yo, yo, yo, am I interrupting something?" Jonah came into the sitting room at that time, and we all freeze.

"Um…what are you doing here?" I ask, and Jonah grinned at me.

"I'm here to see Hammer's dreams, of course," Jonah replied.

"How do you know about that?" Ned looked shocked.

"Ted told me. Or at least I _think _it was Ted."

Everyone turned to look at Ted. He shrugged, "Jonah wanted to know what was happening."

"You're speaking independently!" Madison grinned.

Ted and Ned glared at her.

"Ekaterinas…" Ted began.

"…are perfectly capable of speaking…" Ned continued.

"…independently!" Ted finished.

Jonah sat down. "Whatever. Now let's see what my old roommate dreams about."

As if on cue, the 'Hamilton,' side of the screen flickered to life.

_Jonah_

Everyone looked so shocked to see me! I wonder why…did they not know that Ted had told me all about this 'Advanced Ekat technology,' of theirs?

I sit down next to Reagan and stare at the tablet in Ted's hands. It was currently playing Hamilton's dream.

Dream Hamilton is in a laser tag arena, holding a laser tag gun and shooting all the dark figures that came his way.

A voice spoke in his dream. 'Hamilton Holt, you have a new member of your team. Sinead Starling.'

Sinead appeared inside the laser tag arena, trembling and crying. 'No! I don't want to play laser tag!'

I stared at the screen, confused, as Ned and Ted exchanged knowing looks.

Dream Hamilton went over to Sinead and wiped the tears from her eyes. 'Calm down. It'll be fine.'

Dream Sinead trembled. 'How do I know it'll be fine?'

Dream Hamilton leaned forward and kissed Dream Sinead, and soon they were in a total make-out session in the laser tag arena. Then the screen turned black. Hamilton's dream was over.

I whistled under my breath. "Wow…Hamilton likes Sinead."

"And Sinead likes him back." Reagan filled in. Seeing my confused look, she added, "We watched her dream about Hamilton."

"Wow…first Amy and Ian, and now Hamilton and Sinead," Madison sighed.

"Hey, these Cahill Reunions are never uneventful," I grinned.

_Phoenix_

Dan was still grumbling about how Amy and Ian liked each other. I honestly didn't see what the big deal was-I mean, they were enemies before, now the clue hunt was over, couldn't they just make up?

I covered my ears with a pillow, "Dan, some people are actually trying to sleep here."

"I get that, but WHY the Cobra? Does Amy know how many boys in the world there are? Why the COBRA?" Dan was still ranting, and I finally snapped.

"DAN, SHUT UP. PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO SLEEP! I DON'T CARE IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE KABRAS, JUST GO TO SLEEP!" I yelled, and Dan was silent.

Finally, he said, "Who said I didn't like the Cobras? I just don't like Ian."

"So…you don't mind Natalie?" A evil look comes across my face.

Dan flushed red, and choked out, "I didn't mean it that way! I hate the Cobras, but…but…"

"…you have a crush on Natalie, don't you?"

"I'm going to go to sleep now." Dan grumbled.

-End-

**A/N: Oh, why is everyone in denial? I hope I didn't disappoint you guys…anyway, here's another chapter! Why do I keep getting ideas for this story…? Expect another chapter soon. Maybe tonight. Or tomorrow-but that's only if you REVIEW! **

**If you love it, tell me why you love it-REVIEW! If you hate it, tell me why you hate it-REVIEW! If you like it, tell me why you like it-REVIEW! If you think it needs improvement, tell me what I can do to improve it-REVIEW! **

**And if you have any ideas for this story, feel free to PM me or REVIEW! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sixth chapter! I can't believe I'm already here…don't I update fast? Well, personally, I think this is the best chapter ever, and it's the second-longest. It's sort of cliché, but I loved writing it, and it's my favourite chapter ever…so enjoy!**

**Special thanks to Candysweetstories for all her awesome reviews! They're what inspire me to write all this for you…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the 39 Clues, One Direction, Coke, or Pepsi. If I did…I will never own any of them! How do you own One Direction? Hmm…**

_Amy_

The next morning, Sinead wakes up, a smile on her face, and starts humming a One Direction song. I look at her weirdly, "Ahem…"

Sinead blushed, "Oh, hi. I had a…good dream."

I raised my eyebrows, "Must've been a very good dream. Dream about anyone in particular?"

Sinead turned even redder. "No…"

"Sure," I said, my tone clearing implying I didn't believe her, "Sure you didn't."

Sinead went into the washroom, holding a towel. "I didn't! Now, let's get ready for the day…I wonder what Fiske has planned for us in that notebook of his."

I walked into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and washed my face, all that. Then I started looking through my suitcase for something to wear. I finally decided on turquoise shorts and a striped turquoise and white t-shirt.

Sinead chose a pair of jean shorts and a grey t-shirt with I AM A GENIUS written on it, and she combed out her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail.

We both walked out of the room, and saw that Madison, Reagan, and Natalie were already ready. Madison and Reagan were both wearing purple and white, and Natalie was wearing a pretty pink top with white shorts.

"The boys just called. They said to go downstairs." Natalie informed us, finger-combing her glossy black hair.

"But I'm hungry," both Madison and Reagan whined.

"Let's go downstairs," Sinead suggested, and I agreed.

We all went down to the sitting room, and saw all of the boys sitting around on the couches. Jonah was flipping through the notebook.

I saw Ian and both of our faces flushed red. I turned away. "What does it say in the book, Jonah?"

Jonah looked puzzled. "All it says underneath today's date is-_go up to the fifth floor and into the room marked with your name_.'"

"Let's eat first," Hamilton suggested. "I'm starving."

All the boys, even Ned and Ted, agreed, and Jonah went up to the boys' suite and came back with a bunch of sandwiches. I grabbed and sandwich. "I wonder why Fiske told us to do that…it's very out of character."

"Yeah, usually he'll make us do some…"

"…ridiculous bonding activity…"

"…correct?" Ned and Ted said, completing each other's sentences, as usual.

"Yeah, that's exactly what Fiske would do," Sinead agreed.

"The Ekaterinas think there's something suspicious about this! Oh my god!" Hamilton said dramatically, rolling his eyes.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, you stupid Tomas, it _is _very out of character!"

"Well, Ekaterina, just because you think you're all smart and awesome, doesn't mean you're always right!" Hamilton snapped at Sinead.

"Aww…aren't the lovebirds sweet, everyone?" Jonah cut in, grabbing a sandwich.

Hamilton and Sinead both froze. "_Lovebirds?_" Sinead spluttered.

"_Sweet?_" Hamilton looked like he was going to throw up.

"Okay, enough! Let's go to the fifth floor," Natalie cut in smoothly, and everyone grudgingly stood up and filed out of the sitting room.

I wonder what Fiske has planned for us...

_Dan_

The fifth floor was an entire hallway of doors. It had plush red carpeting, and the doors were all glossy and new, with plaques on them.

Everyone scrambled to find the door with their name on them. I walked slowly down the hallway, reading the plaques on the doors. _Jonah and Phoenix, Amy and Ian, Hamilton and Sinead, Ned and Madison, Ted and Reagan, and…_NATALIE AND DAN! DAN AND NATALIE!

Natalie? Bracing myself, I opened the door, praying that Natalie didn't have her dart gun with her. The door locked behind me. I whirled around and pulled on the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. "AHHH!"

"Don't bother, Daniel. I've tried already."

I turned around. The room Natalie and I were in was carpeted in white. There were paintings on the wall and a sitting area with white couches and a coffee table. A sheet of paper was on the coffee table, a mini fridge was in the corner…and there was nothing else. Natalie was sitting crossed-legged on the white couch.

I slump down on the armchair across from the couch she was sitting on and yanked the sheet of paper off the coffee table. "Oh, look, it's a note from Fiske."

Natalie held out her hand. "May I see it?"

I handed it to her, and her amber eyes skimmed the sheet of paper. Then she threw it back down on the coffee table. "You should never think that Fiske isn't up to something that will get us to bond!"

I grabbed the note and read it.

_Dear Dan and Natalie,_

_Thank you for following my instructions! The purpose of this exercise is to get the two people that hate each other the most to bond! (Except for Jonah and Phoenix, because they don't really hate anybody). You two will be locked in here for the whole day! Have fun bonding!_

_Fiske_

"How can he be so _cheery?_" I grumbled, "Does he not know what torture he's putting me through?"

"You? I'm the one being tortured…being stuck here with you," Natalie shivered.

"Amy and Ian are together in one room, you know." I scratched my head. "They don't exactly hate each other."

Natalie smiled a little, remembering last night. "It revolts me, thinking about them together."

"Me too. Phoenix was so fed up with me," I said, sighing. "But Amy and Ian? Ew…"

"Do you think they will get together over the course of today?" Natalie asked, inspecting her nails.

"Probably." I sigh, "I want to break them up already."

"If they do get together…" Natalie mused, staring at the ceiling.

"…do you want to break them up together?" I asked, and Natalie and I both grin evilly.

"Deal," she said, and we shook on it.

_Ian_

The room I was locked in with Amy was a room that was…extremely colourful. No windows, just round, multi-coloured lights dangling from the ceiling, casting slants of multi-coloured, dim light around the room. There was a blue counter stocked with food, and a sitting area with lime green and white couches.

Amy was sitting down on a green couch, reading a note that had been left on the coffee table, (which, by the way, was green).

"Fiske shoved us both in here to 'bond,'" She grumbled, not looking at me.

"Bond? How long will we be in here?" I asked, sitting down on the couch across from her.

"The whole day," Amy replied, brushing her red hair out of her face. Her red hair was beautiful, glossy and…Ian, stop it. You can't let her distract you.

"That's…" I was speechless.

"Yes," Amy said. A long, awkward pause. Then, "The video Dan, Jonah, Ted and Ned showed me last night…was it real?"

Out of all the questions she could ask to pass the time, why this one? I played with my hands for a moment, "Quite real."

"Oh." Amy sighed. "What did Jonah tell you after he got back?"

"That Natalie poisoned you and you said you loved me."

Amy blinked, and she raised her head to look at me. Her expression is scared, nervous.

"Was it true?" I asked gently, and she slowly nodded.

"Why?" Amy said, after another long, awkward pause that made me want to break down the door and just get out of this room.

"Why, what, love?"

"Why did you hurt me? In Korea, Australia…all those places."

"Love, I was forced to. I didn't want to, not at all. But Isabel threatened me," I replied, and saw Amy visibly stiffen at the mention of Isabel's name. "Will you forgive me?"

Silence. A long, awkward silence. We seem to be having a lot of those, aren't we?

"Don't call me love," she finally said.

"All right, _love._ So am I forgiven?" I asked.

"…yes. I suppose you are."

"Thank you, _love._" I smirked when I saw her stiffen at my nickname.

"Don't call me love, Ian!"

"Sure thing, _love._"

Amy slumped down in her seat and sighed.

I laughed.

_Natalie_

Daniel was…all right, really, when he wasn't obsessed with ninjas and high on sugar.

"So, Natalie, do you have any suggestions on how to break them apart? You're a Lucian…I totally expect you to," Daniel said, running his fingers through his hair.

I reach into my pocket, where I always kept a bunch of darts for my dart gun, which was hanging from my belt. I took out four darts loaded with poison. "Daniel," I said, holding up one of the darts, "This is a dart."

"Don't call me Daniel, and yes, I can see it's a dart. I'm not stupid." Daniel hissed, and I ignored him.

"This dart has a poison in it that will make people fall in love," I told him. "So, if we make Amy fall in love with someone else, and Ian fall in love with someone else…that would break them up."

"Lucians have a poison that will make people fall in love?" Daniel looked intrigued. "Why?"

"Lucians believe that love make the person weak," I said softly, pocketing the dart. "If we make our enemy fall in love with someone, it is believed he will become weaker and an easier target."

"So, basically, you're saying Lucians don't believe in love," Daniel said.

"Yes."

"Do you believe in love?"

_Yes…sort of. _I sighed, "Okay, and this dart," I held up another dart, changing the subject, "Lets you control the person you inject the poison into."

"_That _would be useful," Daniel grinned, and I found myself smiling back.

"Yes, but it has a _very _short working time period. I doubt we'll be able to make Ian turn Amy off completely in one hour, and an overdose of this would either paralyse or kill." I replied, pocketing the dart. I held up the next one. "This poison dilutes the person's brain and makes them confuse the people in front of them. They don't know if the person is a friend or a foe. This is very useful for making people come over onto our side in a battle. So if we inject this into either Ian or Amy…"

"…they'll attack the other, and they'll start hating each other." Daniel nodded, "I'm catching your drift."

_Catching your drift?_ "Excuse me?"

"I understand you," Daniel explained, rolling his eyes.

"Fine." I held up the last dart, "And this dart…it makes the person say things they don't mean."

"So if we give it to either Ian or Amy, they'll shout insults at each other and hate each other," Daniel said. He was smart; I had to give him that.

I pocketed the dart. "Why are we coming up with ways to break Ian and Amy up? They're not even together yet."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Of course they'll get together. This is _Ian and Amy._"

"Right."

_Sinead_

Locked! In a room with Hamilton Holt, forced to bond with him! Really?

I sank down into a beanbag chair, not looking at him.

"Why do you think Fiske made us do this?" Hamilton asked, staring at the cheery note Fiske had wrote to us about bonding, and how we were going to be stuck in this room for the whole day.

"Isn't it obvious, you stupid Tomas? He thinks our branches argue too much, so we've been paired with each other!" I hissed at him. I really didn't know why I did that, it just came naturally. What I wanted to happen was that dream I had last night…WAIT, SINEAD, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?

"No, snobby Ekaterina, it isn't obvious! Just because it's obvious to your snobby branch, doesn't mean it's obvious to everyone!" He snapped back. Ouch. Snobby? That stung.

I sighed, "Okay, why do our branches hate each other? Or maybe because it's just _we _hate each other! I mean, Ted and Ned and Madison and Reagan get along fine!"

Hamilton shut up, and he looked down at the floor. "You hate me?"

"No, no, I-I didn't mean that!" I protested, stumbling over the words. I didn't hate him-far from it, actually.

"Yes, you did." Hamilton sighed, "You really do hate me?"

"NO!" I cried, "I don't hate you at all! The opposite, really!"

Suddenly, I realized what I had just said. "The opposite?" Hamilton raised his eyebrows. "You've probably noticed, being an Ekat, Sinead, that the opposite of hate is…"

"…love." I finished.

_Ted_

Reagan sat down on the fluffy carpet and read the note on the coffee table. "We can't stand each other…according to Fiske."

"Oh, really?" I said, sitting down on one of the couches in the room that Reagan and I had been locked in.

"So, we're going to be locked in here the whole day, to 'bond,'" Reagan made finger quotes as she was saying the word, 'bond.'

"Okay…we'll bond, then," I flashed a grin. "Hi, my name is Ted Starling, I'm one-third of a group of genius triplets, and I'm from the Ekaterina branch of the Cahill family. And you are…?"

Reagan laughed, "I'm Reagan Holt. I'm the twin of Madison Holt, and I'm from the Tomas branch of the Cahill family. Nice to meet you."

"You too." I mock-bowed and Reagan laughed again. "So, Miss Reagan Holt, tell me about yourself."

"Well…I have two siblings. My twin, Madison, and my older brother, Hamilton, and my Mom and Dad are Eisenhower and Mary-Todd Holt. I don't live with them now; I live in Africa, in a medium-sized bungalow at the edge of a forest with my brother and sister. I'm a Tomas, so we value physical strength. We have a training centre underneath our bungalow, where I go every day. What about you, Mister Ted Starling?"

"Well," I began, "I'm Ted Starling. I'm a triplet. My siblings are Sinead Starling and Ned Starling. I used to be blind because of an explosion," at this Reagan winced, "But I've recently gotten a surgery that has restored my eyesight. I live in France with my two siblings, in a mansion. I'm an Ekaterina, so I value knowledge. I invent things." I paused and looked at Reagan. "How about you tell me something I don't know about you?"

"I have a crush on someone."

I gasped, "A Holt, having a _crush _on someone? Is that even possible?"

Reagan rolled her eyes, "Like I said, you don't think I can be girly. And,_ yes, _a Holt can have a crush! Look at Hamilton."

"Good point."

"And if a _Lucian _can have a crush, can't a Tomas?"

"Wait, a Lucian has a crush?" I interrupted, and Reagan pumped her fist in the air and cheered. "What?"

"I finally figured out something before an Ekaterina! Ian and Amy?"

"Oh…them. Well, that's old news."

"Also Dan and Natalie."

"WHAT?"

"Yes, Dan and Natalie! You heard me right."

I took a breath, "Wow…never thought that would happen." I glanced at Reagan, wondering who her crush was. It better be someone who would never hurt her…wow, Ted, why so protective? "So who's your crush?"

A pause. "He's really smart. And really cute. And he's older than me and will never like me."

"Oh."

Reagan smiled sadly at me, "Can you guess who he is?"

_Ned_

"Fiske seems very keen on getting everyone to bond," I commented, after reading the note that Fiske had left on the coffee table in the room that Madison and I were locked in.

"Well, he's a Madrigal." Madison said, flopping down on a beanbag chair. "Their lifetime mission is to get all the branches to bond."

"True. But Amy and Dan are Madrigals, and you don't see them running around forcing us together."

"You've got a point." Madison said, "But I still can't believe Fiske would go to all this trouble."

It sounded like she was implying something, and because I was an Ekaterina, I immediately figured out what it was. "So, you don't like being locked in a room with me."

"No, that's not it at all!" Madison protested.

"Sure it isn't…" I said sarcastically, sinking into the beanbag chair across from Madison's.

A long pause. Finally, Madison said, "Who do you think he paired together."

I smirked, "Dan and Natalie, for one."

"Definitely."

"By the way, was Natalie carrying around her dart gun today? I feel sorry for Dan."

Madison laughed, "Yes…she was. So, right now you think Dan is knocked out on the floor of whatever room they're in and Natalie's filing her nails?"

"The probability of that is quite high."

"Probability?" Madison asked, looking confused.

"It means, out of all that could happen, that's the most likely." I explained, "It's a part of Math. And yes, it's very likely, considering Dan and Natalie's relationship and their personalities."

"Yeah, but you don't know the full story between Dan and Natalie."

_Full _story between Dan and Natalie? I had to hear this. "What is it, then?"

"That Natalie has a crush on Dan."

"What? You're kidding. The chances of that are less than one in a billion."

"No, I'm not kidding," Madison laughed, "And I don't blame you for doubting me."

"How do you know?"

"Well, last night, the girls were playing a game of Truth, basically, with the truth serum thingy that you guys gave Ian. And Natalie admitted that she liked Dan."

"Dan and Natalie-out of all the weird couples the Cahills have made, this is by far the weirdest."

"Of course it is." Madison rolled her eyes, "And what's the probability of another couple?"

"Another couple?"

"Yeah, list all the couples the Cahills could make and the probability of them getting together. That is, if your Ekaterina brain is smart enough to gauge romance."

I sighed, "You underestimate us…which is something a Tomas should never do to an Ekaterina. Okay, first couple…"

_Hamilton_

"…love." Sinead finished, and I looked at her.

"Love? You don't hate me, but you…"

Sinead nodded, "Well sort of. I guess so…"

"Wow." I watched as Sinead started blushing furiously. "What?"

"Wow?" Sinead stood up. "That's all you can say? I just told you my deepest secret, and all you can say is 'wow.'"

"Well, I'm sorry I can't come up with anything better! What did you want me to say?"

"I don't know, maybe something like _if you like me back?_" She hissed, walking over to the mini fridge, opening it, and pulling out a can of Coke.

I paused. Should I tell her? But then, what did I have to lose?

"I do like you back."

"Oh, really," Sinead popped open the can of Coke and drank.

"Yes." I got up and walked over to her. "Please don't be mad at me. Just…please. We can barely ever have a conversation without screaming insults at each other, and it rips me apart, it really does." I put my arms around her and she doesn't throw them off.

"I don't know why I start insulting you," she said quietly, "I really don't. It's just…natural instinct."

"Yeah, it is for me too. Maybe because my Dad raised me to shout insults at Ekats."

"My Mom and Dad did that, too," Sinead smiled and handed me the can of Coke. "You want some?"

"But you drank from it!"

She rolled her eyes. "Sure I did. And you're afraid that I drank from the Coke?"

I rolled my eyes, took it, and drank.

Sinead laughed.

_Madison_

"Okay," Ned started listing all the couples possible. "Um, well, first of all, Amy and Hamilton."

I gagged. "Ew! That's disgusting! Never going to happen!"

"The probability is 64%." Ned said, after some calculation. He looked at me to see my reaction, and I looked horrified.

"64%? Why so high?"

"They're close. They're good friends. There's a good 64% chance they could end up together." Ned explained.

I got up, went to the mini fridge, and pulled out a bottle of Pepsi. I unscrewed the cap and drank, "I can't imagine it."

"Neither can I, but those are the statistics." Ned said, as I went back to the sitting area and sat down across from him. "Next couple," Ned said, "Amy and Ian."

I grinned. "I want to hear this."

"99.9%," Ned replied, and I laughed.

"Why not 100%?" I drank some Pepsi and looked over at Ned.

"Well, the chance is pretty high, but it isn't complete." Ned grinned back. "Next-Amy and Jonah."

I had never even _considered _that couple. It had never really seemed to work. Amy and Jonah were good friends, but they weren't, like, couple material. "78%," Ned said, and I almost choked on my Pepsi.

"_78%?_ That's crazy! Amy and Jonah will never end up together."

"Well, they _are _good friends and they _do _have things in common, so 78%." Ned paused, calculating things in his head, "Amy and me."

I wanted to choke at the thought. "Skip you or Ted, please."

"Fine. Next, Dan and Natalie," Ned paused, "Well, probably around 89%."

"Really?" I asked, "Well…I guess so, what with last night and all, but everyone will still be shocked.

"Dan and Reagan," Ned said, and I raised my eyebrows. "Also 89%."

"That makes sense, but it probably won't happen," I commented.

"Dan and you," Ned continued, and I actually choked on my Pepsi. I went into a coughing fit.

"0%!" I yelled, after I was done, "0%!"

"More like 20%."

"Zero!"

"Fine, zero it is…" Ned thought for a moment. "Who else? Oh, yeah, Natalie and Jonah. Probably 75%. Natalie and Hamilton, probably 50%." He ran through the list, and none of them got higher than Amy and Ian, and Hamilton and Sinead-those couples, according to Ned, had a good 99.9%.

I paused, wondering if I dared ask the question. "And you and me?"

Ned looked at me for a long moment. "I'll say…100%."

_Reagan_

Ted…he probably didn't know I had a crush on him. If he did, he probably would've run away. Nobody wanted the Holts to have crushes on them, because the Holts were cold and uncaring and beat everyone up. Right.

I leaned back in my chair. Ted raised his eyebrows at me. "Older than you…so, not the same age?"

"Yup."

"Well…that rules out Dan and Phoenix."

"Why would you think I have a crush on Dan _or _Phoenix?" I asked.

"Well, you and Dan have a good chance of getting together," Ted grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes.

"No we don't, because I'll never agree to it."

"Probability and Personality says there is around an 89% chance you will get together, so, quite high."

"And _Phoenix?_" I ask, choking on air.

"Well…that's probably a 20%. If both of you go through drastic personality changes," Ted said. He paused, thinking, "Is your crush a Cahill?"

"Yeah…"

"So that leaves…Jonah, and Ned."

_Jonah and Ned? Ted, what about you? Hello?_ I bite my lip, not saying anything.

"Is it Jonah?"

"Why would I like that guy who speaks in endless gangsta talk that I can't understand?" I rolled my eyes, "Uh…no."

"My brother, then?"

"Uh…no." _He's Madison's._

"Then who is it? Some sort of random Cahill in the Tomas branch?" Ted asked, cocking his head to the side, probably doing calculations of statistics and everything in his head.

"No…" _Can't you see it's you? YOU!_

"Then who is it?"

"You." The word slipped out, and I saw Ted's eyes widen.

_Jonah_

Phoenix and I didn't need to bond with anyone because we are all cool with everyone in the Cahill family! Awesome. So now, basically, Phoenix and I are locked in a room filled with random lava lamps, lying on couches and talking about music.

"So, what song do you think I should make up next?"

"If I were you, I would be crazy inspired by the Cahill Reunion," Phoenix shook his head. "I mean, this place is crazy. The Cahills together are crazy."

"Well, I suppose I could write a song based on it…but, Phoenix, are you _really _that confused about the Cahills?" I asked.

Phoenix shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, you have people that are exact opposites falling for each other, these four branches, weird bonding activities, arguments wherever you go…"

"Okay, let me explain to you. The four, um, five branches are the descendants of the four kids of Gideon and Olivia Cahill. Gideon got this serum, blah, blah, blah, all his children got some serum except for the fifth one. The oldest of the children is Luke-the founder of the Lucian branch. He got a serum that made him sneaky, stealthy, and an excellent spy. Natalie and Ian Kabra are the descendants of Luke, and part of the Lucian branch, and they also share Luke's qualities because they have the serum in their blood. Then there's Katherine-the founder of the Ekaterina branch. She got a serum that made her super-smart. Our Ekats are Ted, Ned, and Sinead Starling. Then there's Thomas, who got a serum that gave him awesome physical qualities. Our Tomas are Hamilton, Reagan, and Madison Holt. Then there was Jane…and you already know about the Janus. The fifth branch was the child that was born after Gideon died. Madeline. She was the founder of the Madrigal branch, she didn't get any serum, and her lifetime goal is to get the branches to unite. Amy and Dan Cahill are our Madrigals. And when we're all together under one roof…things happen. I mean, it's all of our branches' talents added up together."

"Wow," Phoenix said. "That's…awesome."

"Awesome? That all you can say about our beyond spectacular family?"

"It's…beyond spectacular, then. Better than seeing all the Janus collections of art."

"That's right, little dude."

_Phoenix_

Wow…Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, Janus, and Madrigal. So that's why everything goes cuckoo when they're all together under one roof. I mean, imagine what an Ekaterina's planning can do combined with a Tomas' strength! And what a Lucian's sneakiness and tactics can do when combined with Janus' creativity and Ekaterina's planning and tactics. I wouldn't be surprised, now, if we burned up an entire country, or did something as crazy as steal a world-famous piece of art. Wait…didn't Amy and Dan do exactly that to rescue us? I guess it isn't so crazy, then…

"I can't believe I actually thought this reunion was going to be boring," I said wearily.

-End-

**A/N: Well…this chapter certainly had some romance in it, didn't it? This is for all the Amian shippers, Hamead shippers, and Natan shippers out there! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly enjoyed writing it the most!**

**REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW****REVIEW**_**REVIEW**_**REVIEW,**** and REVIEW! Please? **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! It's, like, eighteen pages long and 5,586 words! Yayyy! I wanted to have this up last night…but I didn't have time to finish it. So, sorry. But I did have two chapters up yesterday, so…reviews, anyone? **

**Enjoy ;)**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Phoenix! Come over and do the disclaimer for me!**

**Phoenix: What is going on in this reunion? It's all so confusing! What's the relationship between Amy and Ian? What is-**

**Me: Phoenix, just DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Phoenix: Fine…someone's touchy.**

**Me: Well, there are people out there who want to read! **

**Phoenix: Fine. Dream. Love. Smile. Does not own the 39 Clues, any company mentioned, or Beyoncé. **

_Amy_

Ian and I just chattered aimlessly for the next few hours until the doors would unlock and we would finally be OUT OF THERE. I have to admit…it's nice not having to avoid Ian. He's really a nice guy if you get past the fact that he's a Lucian and he has tried to kill you countless times.

Ian was currently talking about the Kabra mansion, the place he lived in when he was little. "It was huge, really, and they had homing poodles with poisonous claws patrolling the grounds."

_Homing poodles with poisonous claws?_ I couldn't help it-I burst out laughing. "Homing poodles with poisonous claws?"

Ian looked at me seriously, "Do not take them lightly, love. They look pristine from a distance, but they are deadly. Underestimating is the most dangerous thing you can do when you're with a Kabra."

"Okay…so what do these homing poodles do, exactly?" I ask. Ian opened his mouth to answer, but just then the door swung up. A mechanical voice rang throughout the room.

"Six hours are up. You may leave now."

Ian and I jumped up at the same time. Ian got to the door first and held it open for me, "Ladies first."

"Glad to see you haven't forgotten your manners," I smile and step out of the room.

"I'm a Kabra, love, we never forget our manners," Ian smirked, and I rolled my eyes at him.

As soon as I walked out of the door, Dan came running up to me. "Hi, what happened in there? Tell me! Everything!"

Well…that was out of character. Dan, wanting to know what had just happened in my life? To know _everything _that happened in my life? I stare at him weirdly, "Did Natalie poison you?"

Beside me, Natalie had practically tackled Ian. She was saying, in her smooth British accent, "Hello, Ian. How has your day been?"

Ian and I both pushed our siblings off us. "Uh…what is wrong with you, Natalie? Did Daniel do something to you?" Ian asked, pressing his hand to Natalie's forehead. "Your temperature seems all right…"

"Oh, please, Dan, do something to Natalie? Did Natalie poison Dan or something?" I turn to Ian, "Is there a poison that makes you act completely out of character?"

"Wow, you two are friendly now," Dan commented, looking at Ian and me.

"It's revolting," Natalie wrinkled her nose.

"You've got that right," Dan said, and he and Natalie high-fived.

Ian and I were watching this exchange, totally confused. Dan and Natalie _high-fiving _each other? Dan and Natalie _agreeing _on something? Natalie knowing what a _high-five _is? What was going on?

"What happened when you two were together, huh?" I asked, walking toward a glass elevator. Ian walked beside me and Dan and Natalie followed us. "You two seem…_friendly _now. How did _that _happen?"

Dan grinned and Natalie smirked. "That's for us to know and you to find out," they said in perfect unison.

Okay, now _that _was creepy.

"Ian…I think aliens have taken over our little siblings…RUN!" I ran into an elevator and Ian followed me. He pushed the button that closed the door, and the door closed on Dan and Natalie.

The elevator shot down to the ground floor, and I turned to look at Ian. His amber eyes shone brightly. "I have to admit, that was pretty scary. Dan and Natalie speaking in unison and actually agreeing with each other…" Ian actually shuddered, and I laughed.

The elevator doors slid open into the indoor garden entrance room, and Ian and I walked to the sitting room, talking about Dan and Natalie's super-creepy behaviour. We went into the sitting room and I was actually really surprised by the sight.

Ted and Ned are sitting on a white couch, either one of them crossed-legged, and Madison and Reagan are leaning against the couch that Ted and Ned were sitting on. All four of them are chattering and talking brightly, and they would laugh every once in a while. Jonah is lounging on another couch, talking to Phoenix, who was sitting in a beanbag chair. Hamilton and Sinead aren't shouting insults at each other-they're both reclining on white recliners and talking to each other. Sinead's laughing as Hamilton tells some sort of story using wild hand gestures. Dan and Natalie come into the room, too, and they sit down on a couch. Natalie pulls off her stilettos and sits cross-legged on the couch and Dan props his feet up on the coffee table and then starts whispering with Natalie. So…I guess, for once, Fiske's 'bonding tactics,' have succeeded. Everyone seems much friendlier towards each other.

Ian sits down on a recliner and I sink into a beanbag chair. I nod toward Dan and Natalie. "What do you think they're _talking _about? What could they possibly agree on?"

Ian thought for a moment, "Perhaps they have found out they have something in common."

"Right…like Dan will ever like Prada or Gucci or shopping."

"Hey, I don't know. I'm pretty sure Natalie would never like those American candies, video games, and ninjas," Ian replied.

Suddenly, Ted/Ned cleared his throat. Everyone turned to look at him. "I have an idea…we could do something to spend the time," There was a grin on his face.

"Like what?" Jonah asked, running his hands through his hair.

"Like a game Madison and Reagan made up called…" Ned/Ted started.

"…'Embarrass Your Siblings.'" Whichever Starling boy didn't say the first part of the sentence finished.

"So, basically," Reagan cut in, "It's just telling stories to embarrass your siblings! And in Jonah and Phoenix's case…older/younger cousin."

Dan's eyes lit up and he raised his hand. "Ooh, ooh, I want to go first!"

Oh, no. This is not good.

_Dan_

The look on Amy's face when I started saying, "Ooh, ooh, I want to go first!" was priceless. Though I did have a _lot _of things to use against her…

Everyone turned to me, and I grinned evilly. "Okay, so Amy, right?" I thought for a moment. "Okay, so one night, she just started screaming." Amy's face drained of colour when she realized what I was planning to tell everyone.

"NO! DAN! NO!" Amy yelled, but I ignored her.

"Okay, so Amy's screaming. It's the middle of the night, and she's just yelling at the top of her lungs _in her sleep. _And guess what she was yelling?" I smiled mischievously. "She was yelling, 'IAN, COME SAVE ME! IAN, IAN, IAN!" over and over again. I filmed it…but I don't have the camera with me."

Everyone burst out laughing, and Amy's face flamed red. Ian turned to Amy, a satisfied look on his face, and said something to her, which made her turn the reddest I had ever seen her. Satisfied that I had embarrassed Amy enough, I dusted my hands off. "Who wants to go next?"

"Wait, wait, wait, before we do that…" Jonah turned to Amy. "Really? When was that?"

"A couple months ago," I answered. "And…she's done it a couple of times since."

"Amy, what were you dreaming about?" Hamilton asked, and Amy flushed again.

"I'm not saying," Amy said, shaking her head. "I can't believe you _told _everyone that, Dan!"

I laughed, "Well…sister, did I mention that your face is the red of a prized tomato right about now?" Amy's face turned even redder, redder than her red hair.

"It's very unbecoming," Natalie commented. She pulled a dart out of her pocket and inserted it into the dart gun. She shot the dart at Amy and Ian screamed.

"NATALIE! WHAT POISON WAS THAT?"

I turned to Natalie, raising an eyebrow, silently asking her if it was one of the poisons that she had suggested using to break Amy and Ian up. She shook her head no.

"Ian, it was merely the truth serum," Natalie said calmly as Ian pulled the dart, (which hadn't went into Amy's skin…a needle had extended from it and pricked Amy), out of Amy's arm.

"Don't shoot Amy _ever _again, you hear me?" Ian demanded.

"Aw, is Ian worried?" Jonah grinned, "That's so sweet."

"Now, let's try that again," Natalie smiled. "Amy, what was the dream about?"

"I-I…" Amy stuttered. "W-well, I-I was b-being p-pushed o-off a cliff by I-Isabel, and y-you and I-Ian were t-there, N-Natalie, and I-Isabel pushed me o-off, a-and I-I was s-screaming at I-Ian to s-save me."

"I would've saved you, love," Ian grinned at Amy and I fought back the urge to puke.

"That's so sweet," Sinead grinned, and Ned and Ted shook their heads.

"Sinead…"

"…you've really become a sappy romantic."

"Okay, okay, everyone! I think that's enough of embarrassing Amy," I saw Amy sigh in relief as I said that, "So, who wants to go next?"

Natalie's amber eyes gleamed evilly. "I will."

Ian turned white.

_Ian_

What was Natalie planning to tell everybody? I hoped it wasn't _too _embarrassing…

Natalie put her hand in her pocket and pulled out her phone. "So, one day, I was bored. So I decided to do something horrible to Ian because that's just the kind of sweet sister I am," she smiled sweetly at me and I rolled my eyes.

Right. Natalie. Sweet-that was not possible. The only thing that was possible was her _acting _sweet.

Dan looked over at Natalie, "Well, this should be good."

Natalie grinned, "So, I went into Ian's room and he was in the shower, right? And so I went into his closet and grabbed all this clothes and hid them in a broom closet. So when he came out, the only thing he was wearing were his…um, pink underpants with white dollar signs, sort of like the ones he wore in Korea…"

I flushed red. That revolting dog that had bit…never mind. Amy and Dan burst out laughing, and everyone stared at us questionably.

"…and he just started running around the mansion looking for his clothes in his underpants, and when he finally found them, he was ready to kill me…but I managed to stop him because I got everything on the security camera footage and downloaded it into my phone. Want to see?" Natalie waved her phone in the air cheerily.

"NO! NOBODY WANTS TO SEE!" I interrupted, standing up.

Amy reached out, grabbed my arm, and pulled me down. "Rather the contrary, Ian. I'm quite sure everyone would like to see. Natalie, could I see it first?"

NO! Anyone but Amy…

Natalie smirked at me as if she had read my thoughts and tossed the phone to Amy. She caught it and pressed the footage of me running around the house in my underpants.

Ugh…that sounds so nauseatingly degrading. Running around the house in my underpants.

The video starts, and I wince, bracing myself for it. The video started with me running into the pantry. I'm wearing only my pink dollar sign boxers, yelling. "NATALIE! WHERE DID MY CLOTHES GO? NATALIE!"

Everyone laughed once they heard that, and I flushed red. Amy was laughing, so hard, as she was watching the video. When the video _finally _ended, after what seemed like centuries, Amy wiped tears from her eyes. "That was the funniest thing I have ever seen…"

I flushed bright red, "NATALIE!"

The phone was passed around, until _everyone, _and I mean _every single person, _had watched the video. Everyone was practically dying from laughter by then, and I was dying from embarrassment.

"NATALIE! Don't ever do that again! That was not funny!" I yelled, embarrassed to death.

Jonah managed to choke out between laughs, "Ian…that…was…so…incredibly," a fit of laughing, "…entertaining…a Janus…couldn't have…done…better."

"NATALIE!" I fumed.

"Ian, don't go starting on the whole suing rant," Hamilton said, and I flushed red.

"Suing rant? The last time I heard that was when…" Amy trailed off when she saw everyone staring at her intently. "Uh…never mind. It's not my job to embarrass Ian. It's Natalie's."

"NATALIE, YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT!" I yelled. "NO MORE EMBARRASSING ME!"

"But, brother dear, isn't that the whole point of the game? To embarrass you? I have fulfilled the objective," Natalie smirked as Amy tossed her phone back to her.

Dan grinned, "Right on, Natalie!" They high-fived and everyone stared at them blankly.

"What?" Dan asked, "People can't suddenly just get along after hating each other forever?"

"No, it doesn't happen…" One of the Starling boys began.

"…very often," the other finished.

"Who wants to go next?" Jonah asked. "I am being very entertained so far…"

I coughed, "I will."

Kabras were masters at revenge. And I wanted to get revenge on Natalie.

_Natalie_

Oh, no. Oh, no. I knew I had gone overboard the moment Ian's eyes landed on me. They were gleaming, evil and shining, the look he got in his eyes when he was planning a death trap.

I gulped as Ian started talking, lightly, casually. "Well, you all know how much Natalie loves shopping."

Everyone nodded, and there were grumbles from around the room. Dan mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, she's the Shopping Queen, and she can't be more annoying." I elbowed him in the ribs. Just because we both had an agreement that we would try to torture and split up Amy and Ian as much as possible didn't mean I would refrain from poisoning him. I was a Lucian, after all.

"Yes, so one day, she had dragged me along on one of her shopping expeditions. We went to Prada, and Natalie wanted a Prada fairy bag."

"Oh, those are pretty," I heard Amy murmur, and I saw Sinead nod.

"Well, they didn't have one for her, and she threw a whole tantrum there in the store, throwing bags around and everything, and throwing dart guns and shoving poison into the store people's mouths," Ian continued, and Hamilton and Jonah both snorted.

Dan sighed, "Poor people. They do not need to feel the wrath of Natalie Kabra…"

I unhooked my dart gun, inserted a dart into it, and pressed it against Dan's temple. "Would _you _like to feel the wrath of Natalie Kabra?"

Dan shuffled away from me.

"She was going ballistic, and finally the store manager came and knocked Natalie out and dragged her to jail. Her expression when she found that she was in jail was hilarious…and of course she yelled at me to bail her out. Did I film it? Oh, yes I did," Ian pulled his phone out of his pocket and grinned at it.

"Oh, I want to see this…Natalie Kabra, being knocked out and dragged into jail?" Hamilton grinned.

I flushed. "You do not need to see that!" I remembered in jail…it was revolting, and smelled like…well, you do not want to know, or need to know, what it smelled like.

Ian passed the phone around, and I could hear my screams coming from it. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE IS NO PRADA FAIRY BAG! I NEED MY FAIRY BAG!" A sound of a dart whizzing through the air, "THAT IS WHAT YOU GET! NOW GET ME A PRADA FAIRY BAG! NOW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? YOU CAN'T RESTRAIN ME! I AM THE GREAT NATALIE KA-." Everything went silent, and I knew that was when I had been knocked out.

Dan raised his eyebrows at me. "Crazy when you get mad, huh?"

I glared at him.

Ian smiled at the phone. Everyone was laughing so hard. Ted and Ned started talking.

"That was rather…"

"…interesting to watch…"

"…Natalie going ballistic…"

"…that would be very entertaining."

"I agree," Reagan said, "That was hilarious…Natalie was ripping through the store like a rampaged bull and she looked…horrible."

"NOBODY SAYS I LOOK HORRIBLE! EVER!" I yelled, and Madison smiled at me.

"Well, Reagan just did." Madison sighed, "We didn't really mean it, though, just that you shouldn't get mad like that very often."

"It _is _very unbecoming, Natalie," Ian smirked at me, and I glared at him.

For some reason, Dan decided to come to my rescue, "Enough discussion about Natalie looking like a rampaged bull…we all know that she can look like one whenever she feels like it."

"DANIEL!"

Dan sighs, "Moving on. Who's next?"

Ned and Ted perked up. "Oh…we will," identical evil grins were on their faces.

Sinead gulped.

_Sinead_

I have a pretty good idea what Ned and Ted were going to do to me…and it wasn't going to be very nice, either. Ned taps the face of his watch and my suspicions were confirmed. They were _going to play the video _that was going to reveal my darkest secret. Well…I guess since Hamilton now knows it, it isn't as bad, but STILL! Ned and Ted had no right to go around showing people videos of activities I engage in when I'm asleep!

Ned smiles as he clears his throat. "Should I go first? I should. Okay…so, since Ted's my awesome sidekick in this mission, I'm not going to say anything about him. Sinead…" Ned turned the dial on the side of his watch. "_This _is a video of Sinead sleep talking…dreaming about someone…"

Amy raised her eyebrows at me and I shrugged at her. A hologram projected out of Ned's watch. A video of me sleeping. I started mumbling in the video.

NO! Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no, oh, no! Please…this cannot be _happening!_

'Hamilton…Holt…don't…go…' Soon everyone was laughing so hard I couldn't even hear what I was saying in the video. My cheeks were flaming red, and Hamilton looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

I look down at the floor. I can't see Hamilton's expression now…it would be too embarrassing.

"Ned….Ted…I am going to _kill _you…" I grumbled.

_Ted_

The look on Sinead's face when Ned showed everyone the video was…priceless. Her eyes were flaming and her cheeks were bright red. Her hands were clenched so tightly together that they were white. When Ned finally finished with his presentation, everyone was laughing like crazy. Reagan looked up at me and grinned. _The dream?_ She mouthed.

"GUYS! LISTEN TO ME! I'M GOING TO EMBARRASS SINEAD EVEN MORE!" I yelled, and everyone was immediately quiet. Sinead looked up at me, her eyes saying, _what more could you possibly do?_

I take a microchip out of my pocket, tap on it, and it unfolds into my tablet. I scroll through it. "Ah…here it is. Hey, everybody, this is a video of Sinead's dream!"

Sinead's eyes grew wide, "You made Madison plant that on me, didn't you? That's why…"

Madison bit her lip, "Sorry, Sinead…but I was curious…"

I held the tablet out and it started playing Sinead's dream about One Direction and Hamilton.

Amy raised her eyebrows at Sinead once it was over, "So _that's _why you were humming _What Makes You Beautiful_ in the morning. You _were _dreaming about someone!"

Sinead blushed, "I can't believe you guys would go as far as _record my dreams!_" She spluttered.

I grinned, and so did Ned.

"Well…" Ned began.

"…we were curious…"

"…after the sleep talking and all…"

"…to see exactly what you dreamed about…"

"…so we did this." Ned finished, smiling brightly at Sinead.

She grumbled something about horrible brothers and looked down at the ground.

"Sinead…you like _Hamilton?_" Jonah and Dan looked shocked. Amy and Natalie looked like they had expected it. Ian looked like he didn't care, but was amused by the dream. Phoenix just looked confused.

"Yes. You got a problem with that?" Sinead asked. "Now…time for me to embarrass my brothers," A smile came across her face.

Ned and I exchanged a look. _This was not good._

_Ned_

Sinead thought for a moment. "Mmm…well, this was right after Ned and Ted's surgeries. Ted, first of all. His eyesight…well, he could see more than light now, but not perfect, definite images. Just edges and outlines and figures and all that. He walked out of the hospital room and collided with this random lady, and he's all like, 'Sinead! Where have you been? Oh my god, it's like I haven't seen you in forever! Oh my god!' And all the time the lady is just staring at him weird, and Ted is just talking on and on and he only stopped when I pulled him off the lady and said, 'Um, Ted…that's a complete stranger.'" Sinead smiled triumphantly as everyone burst into laughter.

Ted buried his face in his hands as Reagan burst out laughing. "I couldn't see, okay? I really thought that was Sinead…"

"How did that lady _react?_" Jonah asked, laughing.

"Well, she looked scared." Sinead smiled, "I had to explain to her about his eye surgery, but she still looked freaked out after."

"And what about Ned?" Amy prompted, sending a look that said, _I'm sorry, but I'm curious _towards me.

Sinead turned towards me, a grin frozen on her face, "Well…after his surgery, Ned wasn't used to not getting headaches."

Oh, no, not this…I always sound so stupid the way Sinead tells it…

"So, he's always like, 'Oh my god, I'm not getting headaches!' in public, and everyone would stare at him and be all like, 'what a crazy person!'"

Sinead paused, thinking, "And he was always running around testing if he was getting headaches and stuff…and he always looked like a complete idiot."

"HEY!" I protested, "I did not look like a complete idiot!"

Everyone's laughing, so they probably didn't hear me. I slumped back in my seat, arms crossed. "Hmmph."

Madison and Reagan grinned. "Enough of that," Madison said, sending a worried look toward me. "We have something to tell you about…Hamilton."

Hamilton's eyes grew wide.

_Hamilton_

What were they going to tell everyone about me? Probably something about Sinead. Probably…but it would sound so _stupid _if they told everybody! I turned toward my twin sisters. They're smiling.

"Okay, so we all know the Holts train every day, right?" Madison started. "Well, one day, Reagan and I were walking around the training center wondering what to do, and we passed Hamilton. He was punching a punching bag and mumbling under his breath, 'Must train for Sinead. Must get buff for Sinead.'"

The room erupts in laughter, and Sinead raises her eyebrows at me. I look down at the ground as Sinead starts giggling. "Oh, wait, there's more!" Reagan announced, and my head snapped up. What did they still have to use against me?

Reagan held out her hand to Ted and he placed the tablet in it. "This is one of _Hamilton's _dreams." It starts playing the dream I had of Sinead and laser tag. Oh, great. I had been so happy about that dream, too, and now everyone has to know about it?

Dan was looking at the tablet screen, disgusted. "Hamilton…that is revolting."

Sinead turned angrily on him, "Revolting? So, you're saying I'm revolting, basically."

"No!"

"Dan…I am going to invent something just for you. And it's not going to be pretty," Sinead muttered, turning back to the tablet screen.

Dan turned white and Natalie laughed, "I agree with the Ekaterina. Ian and I should create a poison for you."

My dream _finally _ended, and everyone was staring at Sinead and me.

"What?" I demanded.

"Hamilton," Ian said, "You and Sinead hate each other. You shout endless insults at each other. And now you're dreaming about making out with each other?"

If you put it that way, it did seem kind of crazy.

"Well, things change, Ian. Look at you and Amy," Jonah smiled sweetly, coming to my defense.

Ian's eyes narrowed. "What about Amy and me?"

"You guys are practically a couple now!"

Amy and Ian were silent.

"Okay, who wants to go next?" Sinead coughed, breaking the silence.

"I will," I said, casting a look towards Madison and Reagan.

_Madison_

Hamilton's mad…but the dream was so sweet! And it was sort of funny…I turned to look at him. His blue eyes had barely compressed anger in them, and he was really, really, mad.

"Well, Madison first. When she was five, she didn't know how to read, she still wore diapers, she didn't know how to write, she barely knew how to speak in complete sentences, and she still had to be fed." Hamilton listed off, and I felt my cheeks turning bright red.

Ned stared down at me, looking somewhat horrified. "I was _five!_" I protested, as everyone starts laughing like maniacs.

"You wore _diapers _at the age of _five?"_ Dan spluttered between laughs.

"How vulgar," Natalie wrinkled her nose.

"_Vulgar?_" Everyone turned to look at her, except Amy, Ian, and the Ekaterinas.

"Vulgar means 'bad-mannered, rough, and rude.'" Sinead defined, and Natalie and Ian nodded.

"I'm _vulgar?_" I interrupted. "Really, Natalie?"

Natalie didn't answer, only pulled a dart out of her pocket. She turned it around in her hands, inspecting it.

I rolled my eyes. Hamilton continued with his stories. "And Reagan…well, she was smarter than Madison."

"HEY!" I interrupted, but Hamilton ignored me. "Reagan, when she was three, she ran up to this random cop on the street and started talking randomly, like, 'hi, Mister Policeman! Can I go for a ride in your car?' And when the cop said no, she threw a brick at him and we got in serious trouble…"

"You threw a _brick _at a _cop _when you were _three?_" Phoenix looked shocked. We all turned to look at him. It was the first comment he had made in the room.

"Phoenix, don't look so shocked," Amy said, "Reagan's a Tomas. Tomas do stuff like that…I bet Hamilton smashes bricks for training."

Hamilton nodded, and Phoenix looked horrified. We all laugh.

Reagan blushed as Ted looked at her weird. "I don't know whether to be impressed or horrified right now."

"Horrified," Ian filled in.

"Impressed," I cut in.

"I'm going to go with traumatized," Ted said, and we all laugh. Reagan blushes.

"You shouldn't be traumatized!" My twin protests, "I'm a Tomas, it's what I do!"

"Who wants to go next?" Ned interrupted, and there was silence in the room.

"I will," Amy said.

Dan leaned back in his seat, looking perfectly calm.

_Reagan_

Amy glared at Dan for a moment. "Well, Dan wears Pokémon boxers."

"So does Hamilton," I shrug, and Dan and Hamilton both stare at us.

"I DO NOT!" Hamilton said, at Sinead's horrified look.

"Yeah, and once I got a video of him dressed in nothing but his Pokémon boxers, jumping around in the living room watching Pokémon and singing the theme song at the top of his lungs," Amy grinned, and Ian and Natalie looked amused. "Would anyone like to see it?" Amy asked sweetly, holding up her phone.

Natalie held out her hand, "Let us see the utter immaturity of Daniel."

"It's DAN!" Dan protested, and Natalie ignored him, as usual. Natalie caught Amy's phone and turned it on, scrolled through the videos, then tapped something.

Dan's voice came from the phone, "I CHOOSE YOU, PIKACHU!"

Natalie wrinkled her nose, "This is incredibly…"

"…vulgar?" Madison suggested, and Natalie nodded. She threw it to me, and I caught it.

On the screen was playing a video of Dan jumping on the couch belting out the Pokémon theme song. I had to laugh. He had yellow Pikachu boxers, with Pikachu everywhere. He was dancing and turning and doing the Thriller. I start laughing so hard I drop the phone, and Madison catches it. For the next minute, the phone's passed around, causing people to crack up whenever they saw the screen, until it was finally passed back to Amy.

"Thank you," Amy said calmly, pocketing the phone.

"Both our brothers have a…interesting choice of boxers, don't they?" Natalie asked, smiling at Amy.

"Yes, they do. Pikachu and pink with dollar signs," Ian and Dan turned red, and Natalie and Amy both laughed.

"Next person!" Dan cut in, "Next person! Anybody? Anybody?"

Phoenix cut in, "I'll go."

Jonah raised one eyebrow.

_Jonah_

I wonder what Phoenix has to use against me…probably not a lot of things. After all, he's only been tagging along with me and living with me for the past year, unlike everyone else.

Phoenix rubbed his hands together, "Okay, so during one of Jonah's performances, his pants weren't ready. They were this ridiculous shiny gold colour…"

"…I had to perform a song on gold!" I objected, as everyone starts giggling and laughing and all that.

"…shiny gold colour," Phoenix continued, "And they weren't stitched together, so his wardrobe people had to tape it together at the last minute. When he was on stage and dancing, the pants ripped and they fell off, and a bunch of screaming fan girls ran up to the stage and ripped the pants to pieces."

"What boxers was he wearing?" Amy inquired, curiously, and I flushed red.

"Shiny gold ones with 'DA WIZ,' written across them in white cursive," Phoenix replied, and all the girls start laughing.

"I feel your pain," Dan nodded toward me, and Ian nodded in agreement. So did Hamilton. Ned and Ted shrugged, and Phoenix still had an evil expression on his face.

The kid was really turning into a Cahill.

"There's more. Afterwards, when he was walking out of the stadium, his fan girls just _lunge _at him, and rip all his clothes off. Half of his fan girls ran off that day with _some _piece of his clothing." Phoenix continued, and I winced, remembering the day. My clothes had just been _ripped _off, and then divided between the fan girls and everything. Ugh. I could still feel the cold, bitter wind that had been blowing past that day…

"Oh, Jonah," Sinead shook her head at me; "We should really invent some sort of rip-proof fabric for him. Have the Ekats got around to doing that yet?" She asked Ted and Ned.

"No…" One of them began.

"…they haven't…" the other one continued.

"…but they've invented fire-proof, water-proof, air-proof, sword-proof…"

"…fabrics."

I sighed. "Okay, enough tales of my fan girls ripping my clothes off…I want to go next."

Phoenix recoiled from me as I smiled mischievously.

_Phoenix_

Great…what would Jonah use against me? Knowing him, probably something very _creative._ He was a Janus, after all.

Jonah thought for a moment. "Well, okay. First thing…one day, I took Phoenix to a party. One of those after-parties with celebs and all, and lots of alcohol and partying at a bar."

"You took a _thirteen year old kid _to a party like that? Shame on you!" Amy said, and Sinead nodded.

"Hey!" I protested, "Thirteen isn't that young!"

"But it's not old enough to do what Jonah took you to, according to statistics!" Sinead snapped.

"Well…I left him unattended," Jonah continued, and Sinead and Amy gasped.

"Jo-," Amy began, but Dan cut them off.

"You're sounding like freaking Moms. Continue," Dan nodded at Jonah.

"And Phoenix went over to the refreshment table and saw this wine, and he thought it was juice. So, he drank like fifteen cups of it."

"WHAT?" Amy and Sinead jumped up.

"YOU'RE NOT WORTHY TO BE HIS GUARDIAN!" Amy ran over to Jonah and started hitting him on the arm. "YOU LET THE KID DRINK FIFTEEN CUPS OF WINE AT THE AGE OF THIRTEEN?"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THAT CAN HARM A THIRTEEN YEAR OLD KID?" Sinead demanded, hitting Jonah on the head. "REALLY, JONAH?"

This was actually quite entertaining…I still didn't get the whole relationships between the Cahills, but this was very entertaining.

Ian and Hamilton got up and pulled Sinead and Amy back to their chairs. Hamilton nodded at Jonah. "Continue, Jonah."

"Well, he came staggering out on the dance floor and he just starts dancing with Beyoncé."

"You've met _Beyoncé?"_ Hamilton asked, "Really, Jonah, I thought…"

"And Beyoncé looks horrified and pushes him off, and he just faints on the dance floor. It was all over the papers next morning-Beyoncé even did an interview about it."

"I heard something about that…" Natalie mused, and Sinead nodded.

"I fainted on the dance floor? And danced with Beyoncé?" I asked, confused. Well, the memory of that night was practically nonexistent…I was drunk. And, yes, I did think that the wine was grape juice. Wasn't that what wine was, basically? Wasn't it?

"I'm tired now…let's go to bed." Amy suggested.

"And, Jonah, you should really take better care of Phoenix," Sinead said, walking out of the sitting room with Amy.

Everyone filed out of the room, yawning and talking and laughing.

-End-

**A/N: Soooo? Did you like it? I worked really, really, hard on it-harder than any of my other chapters, that is. It's longer than any of my other chapters, too. Tell me if you liked it! **

**And do you know how to tell me you liked it? You REVIEW! You know what reviewing is? It's pressing that little button under this note and writing a message to me about what you thought of this story! I know, awesome, right? **

**So, REVIEW! **


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm BACK! *Silence* What, no cheering? Fine…**

**Okay, here's another chapter. I know some of you were hoping for a super fluffy romance chapter, but…no. I decided to add some mayhem for those of you who want it! So…may I present: CHAPTER EIGHT!**

**Oh, and I won't be updating as often because school starts tomorrow, so yeah… :( But I'll still be updating!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Natalie! Disclaimer! Now!**

**Natalie: Why should I engage in such peasant-like activities? I'll rather be planning ways to break Ian and Amy up with Daniel.**

**Me: Oh, so you'll rather be with Dan.**

**Natalie: NOOO! That's not what I meant at all…**

**Me: Well, DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Natalie: Why should I?**

**Me: *takes out Natalie's suitcase, pulls out dress and scissors* Should I cut it? Here…or here…**

**Natalie: NOO! That's limited edition Chanel! Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or any peasant song that Jonah is singing.**

**Me: THOSE ARE NOT PEASANT SONGS!**

**Read on…well, that was a long disclaimer…**

_Amy_

The next morning, I was woken up by a loud, shrill screaming noise.

I bolted upright in bed. "Oh my god, what was that?" I looked over at Sinead, who was sleeping on the bed next to mine. Her eyes were wide.

We both scrambled out of bed and ran out of the girls' suite, down to the ground floor, and into the sitting room.

I was greeted by the weirdest sight in my life.

Jonah was wearing nothing but his boxers-shiny gold ones that said 'DA WIZ'-his pajamas were on a heap in the ground. He was standing on top of the coffee table, holding the back of a sparkly pink hairbrush and singing, "Oh yeah, boogie-woogie, pow-wow!" Jonah was dancing, too, shaking his hips. Madison and Reagan were in their sport jersey pajamas, standing beside the coffee table Jonah was using as a stage, acting as Jonah's backup dancers.

Dan was jumping on the couches and practically bounding off the walls, wearing a pair of oversized gym shorts and a basketball jersey. He's jumping up and down and up and down, yelling, "PURPLE MONKEYS AND PURPLE SKITTLES, MAYBE LIGHTSABERS AND MAYBE LITTLES! DARTH VADER! HEY! WASSUP?"

Hamilton was running around, yelling, "PURPLE YAMS ARE DELICIOUS, AND SO ARE BLUE HAMBURGERS! OH MY GOD! IT'S A PENCIL PIZZA!"

Natalie was running toward the coffee table. "Jonah, give me back my HAIRBRUSH!"

Jonah just kept on singing and shaking his hips. Dan came running over to Natalie, holding something in his hands. "NATALIE! YOU'RE HERE! I KNEW YOU WOULD COME! HIIII! HOW ARE YOU! PURPLE MONKEYS AND PURPLE SKITTLES! OH, LOOK, THERE'S SKYWALKER! WHOOP! NATALIE!" Dan tackled Natalie to the ground and she screamed.

"DANIEL! Get off of me!" Natalie shrieked, as Dan opened the bag of whatever was in his hands and tipped all the contents of it in Natalie's mouth. Natalie swallowed and went limp.

"PURPLE SKITTLES!" Dan cheered, jumping off Natalie and springing up onto a couch.

Ted and Ned were sitting on a couch, drawing on each other's faces with washable marker. Ted already had pink whiskers and Ned had a purple mustache. "STATISTICS SAY BLUE WHISKERS GIVE YOU GOOD HEALTH!" Ted yelled, drawing blue whiskers on Ned's face.

Ian's jet black hair was sticking out a crazy, irregular angles, and he was wearing his grey silk pajama pants and running behind Dan, yelling, "DANIEL!"

Phoenix was just curled up in a corner, looking confused. I felt sorry for the poor kid-having to witness this.

"What the heck is everyone doing?" Sinead grumbled.

I went over to the unconscious Natalie and inspected what Dan had poured into her mouth. Oh, no. This could not be happening. _Skittles!_

"They're having a _sugar rush,_" I told Sinead, and her eyes grew wide.

"God, no…not Hamilton, Ned, and Ted on a sugar rush…" Sinead muttered.

Just then, Dan ran over to her and tackled her. "SINNNNEEEEAAAADDDDD!"

"Ahhh!" Sinead screamed, fighting to get Dan off her.

Oh, great. Everyone but Sinead, Phoenix and I on a sugar rush. Cahills on a sugar rush. This was not going to be pretty.

_Dan_

Everything is so happy and bubbly and everything! HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh my god, purple skittles are swimming through the air! And purple monkeys are running after them! And there are the Littles! And, oh my god, lightsabers! And Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker! Oh my god!

I ran after the purple monkeys, laughing like a maniac. Everything was so incredibly sparkling! Yayyyyy! OH MY GOD. There are the characters from _Twilight! _NOOOOO! Run away, run away!

Oh, look, there's NATALIE! She looks so PRETTY! She's sleeping on the GROUND! It's like a scene from SLEEPING BEAUTY! I wonder who her PRINCE is going to BE!

I jumped right over NATALIE and onto IAN, who was running! He screamed and fell! Oh, no! I wonder who did that to him! He looks like a real cobra now!

"COBRA!" I screamed and ran past Hamilton. Hamilton gasped.

"IT'S A COBRA SOUFFLE!" Hamilton yelled, and a cobra soufflé flew across the air. Hamilton made that happen! He was evil! I hit Hamilton and yelled.

"BAD HAMILTON MADE COBRA SOUFFLE!"

Then I saw Amy! She had pink hair! "AMY WHEN DID YOU GET PINK HAIR?" I yelled. "AMY?"

She shrieked and ran away. I went back to chasing after purple monkeys and skittles.

_Ian_

I felt so…woozy. Like I felt, once, after Isabel had tested one of her new poisons on me. She hadn't created an antidote for it, and I had to spend an entire month in hospital.

I was only three.

Daniel had attacked me and poured a bag of those ridiculous American candies down my throat, and now I seem to have no control over myself. What were in those ridiculous American candies? A supressed form of Lucian poison?

I was running after…something, I didn't know what. Then I heard that idiot Janus Jonah's voice. "THIS SONG GOES OUT TO AMY AND SINEAD, MY AWESOME GIRLFRIENDS! AW, YEAAAHHH!"

Amy? His girlfriend? I turned and saw him-Jonah-dancing on the table. "AWWW! I'LL LIKE TO BE, EVERYTHING YOU WANT, HEY GIRL, LET ME TALK TO YOU! IF I WERE YOUR BOYFRIEND, I'LL NEVER LET YOU GO!"

I ran up onto the coffee table and knocked Jonah over. "AMY IS MINE; YOU GOT IT, IDIOT JANUS?"

"How DARE you say that Sinead is YOURS?" the Tomas had come over and we were now both hitting Jonah.

Jonah whimpered and drew his legs up. "NOOO!"

The Tomas-Hamilton-grabbed Jonah, lifted him up, and effortlessly tossed Jonah's legs behind his shoulder. We opened the laser tag door and threw Jonah in the laser tag arena. Daniel came running into the laser tag arena, snatching a vest from the wall. "NOO!" He yelled, "NOT FLAMING GREEN SOUR BOMBS! HAVE MERCY, DARTH VADER!"

Darth Vader? Who was Darth Vader? Daniel dashed into the laser tag arena, screaming, "PURPLE SKITTLES, DON'T GO!" And Hamilton followed him.

I stepped out of the laser tag arena and back in the sitting room. Everything was irregular colours and woozy. Amy ran up to me, holding a silver dart gun. Oh, silver dart gun. Like Natalie's, except Amy's holding it!

"AMY!" I yelled, and Amy inserted a dart into the dart gun and turned around.

Her lips moved, but I couldn't hear any sound. Finally, she turned back to me and pressed the trigger on the dart gun. I felt a sharp prick in my arm, and everything went black.

_Natalie_

When I opened my eyes, I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my throat. Suddenly, I remembered what that idiot Dan had done to me. He had POURED an entire bag of fattening American candies down my throat!

I reached down to my belt for my dart gun, but it wasn't there. "WHERE IS MY DART GUN?" I yelled, jumping up.

Amy comes running up to me, my dart gun in her hand. MY DART GUN! "Natalie…are you still on a sugar high?"

"No! I want my dart gun," I replied, calmly and smoothly. Amy handed me my dart gun and I strapped it onto my belt and looked around. The door to the laser tag arena was open and I could hear shouts coming from within. Ian was knocked out inches from the entrance to the laser tag arena. Ted and Ned were drawing on each other with markers, and Madison and Reagan were dancing.

Phoenix…Jonah's little cousin, he was huddled in a corner, looking traumatized.

Sinead comes over to me, "Take cover. Or shoot all the boys with darts. Liquid that will drain sugar slowly out of their system. That's what we did to Ian."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a couple of the darts Sinead was describing. "All right." I paused, "What are all the boys doing?"

"Currently, Jonah, Dan, and Hamilton are in the laser tag arena, Dan running around screaming, Jonah being beat up by Hamilton because he called Sinead his 'girlfriend,'" Amy said, and I turned to Sinead.

"The Tomas is beating up people for you! How sweet!"

Sinead grumbled something incoherent and looked down at the ground.

"Ian's slowly having the sugar drained out of his bloodstream into the dart I shot into him," Amy continued. She glances over at Phoenix, who is visibly shaking. "I think we need to drain the sugar out of all the other boys' bloodstreams. And the Holt twins."

"Good idea," I insert one of the darts into my dart gun and shoot Ned and Ted. Sinead winced as the dart pierced their skin and they dropped unconscious. I hand two darts to Amy. "Here, poke the needles into the Holt twins' arms and they should be fine."

Amy walks over to Madison and Reagan and did what I told her to. They both drop down onto the ground, and Amy brushes her hands off and turns to me. "Let's go play laser tag…with darts."

I smiled, "You're not that bad. I wouldn't mind having you as a sister-in-law."

"Sister-in-law?" Amy flushed, "Ian and I are NOT going to get married!"

"That's what you say," Sinead grinned, and Amy blushed redder.

"O-okay, S-Sinead," Amy stuttered. "Go and c-comfort poor P-Phoenix, o-okay?"

Sinead nodded and I grabbed Amy's arm and pulled her toward the entrance to the laser tag arena. "Let's play laser tag."

_Sinead_

I walked over to Phoenix. "You okay?"

Phoenix was shaking, "That was very…scary, to say the least."

I laughed, "Well, we are Cahills. Jonah's explained to you everything about us, hasn't he? If he hasn't…I'm probably going to go complain to Social Services about the way he takes care of you. Wine and parties and fan girls…"

Phoenix shuddered, "Trust me, all that was less scary then watching everyone on a sugar high."

"Yeah, that can be pretty traumatizing. Even something as simple as a sugar high, we Cahills have to go and mess it up." I sigh, "Have you ever wished you were part of a _normal _family?"

"I thought I was…until I was kidnapped by the Vespers," Phoenix shivered. "Then I realized my family was anything _but _normal. You're…from the…Tomas branch?"

I almost laughed out loud, "No, Phoenix, I'm not from the Tomas branch. I'm from the Ekaterina branch."

"Oh…the smart people. Right."

"Yeah…so, was the sugar high _that _scary?"

A yell came from within the laser tag arena, "NATALIE! SOFT HAIR! OH MY GOD! IS THAT A NINJA STAR? NOOOOO! NOT THE NINJAS OF JAPAN! NOOOO! RUFUS! ROMULUS! MY SWORDS!"

Phoenix and I both nodded. "Yeah."

_Ned_

The first thing I heard when I woke up was, "SINEAD IS MINE, YOU LITTLE JANUS IDIOT!"

I sat up and looked around. I was in the sitting room, I had a horrible headache-though not as severe as before-and Ted was lying face-down on the carpet next to me. Madison and Reagan were both passed out beside the coffee table, and Ian was passed out by the entrance to the laser tag arena. Sinead and Phoenix were in a corner, talking, and once in a while you could hear a scream come from the laser tag arena.

"What is going on?" My words are slurred. Sinead jumped up.

"Ned! You're awake! Wait…let me pull the dart out…"

_Dart? _I look down and saw a dart sticking to my arm. It was connected to my arm by a needle that extended from the top of it. Sinead ran over and gently plucked the dart out.

"You had _99 grams _of sugar?" Sinead gasped, looking at the meter of the dart.

"Calm down, dear sister, that's only the weight of 99 paperclips. And I had much less than most of the boys," I said, standing up slowly. The room swerved and turned. I guess I was dizzy.

Sinead held the dart carefully, and tossed it into the garbage. "Ugh…do you have any memory of what happened?"

Memory of what happened? The last memory I had was of Ted and I eating a bunch of Skittles…I looked down and realized there were glowing orange stripes all across my arms, and pink flowers on my hands. "Uh…what just happened?"

"When you guys were on a sugar high," Sinead said, "You-." She was interrupted by a scream coming from the laser tag arena.

"DANIEL! GET BACK HERE! DANIEL! HOW DARE YOU MESS UP MY…" The screams faded away along with a pounding of footsteps.

Sinead coughed, "As I was saying, you and Ted got into a…marker fight."

I looked at Ted and saw he had marks all across his skin, too.

Sinead filled me in on what was happening, "Currently, Ian, Madison, Ted, and Reagan are having the sugar drained out of their systems. Natalie and Amy are in the laser tag arena, hunting down Hamilton, who is beating up Jonah, and Dan, who is going crazy. Natalie and Amy are trying to shoot the three boys with darts that will drain the sugar out of their system."

Just then, Ted woke up. Sinead walked over to him and plucked the dart out of his skin. "_129 grams of sugar?_"

Ted shook his head, "I can't see much. Everything's blurry. What just happened?"

Sinead groaned and I laughed.

_Ted_

Everything was a blur. I could see colours, but mostly everything was a blur, and I had a killer stomach-ache and no memory of the past hour or so.

I could hear Sinead's voice explaining. "You and Ned and the other boys and Madison and Reagan got on a crazy sugar-high, and you and Ned got into a marker war. You have random pictures drawn all across your skin now."

A shout came from nowhere. "HAMMER! BUDDY! DON'T KILL ME!" The sound of footsteps and a large grunt, and then the sounds faded away.

My vision was clearing now, and I could see Ned in front of me, his face covered in marker marks, and Sinead in front of me, talking. "Reagan and Madison and Ian were on a sugar high, they're having the sugar drained out of the bloodstream right now. Hamilton, Dan, and Jonah are still on sugar highs, they're in the laser tag arena right now, being chased around by Amy and Natalie. Amy and Natalie are trying to shoot the boys with-."

"WASSUP YO DUDE? DON'T BEAT DA WIZ UP, HIS FACE IS INSURED!" Sinead was interrupted by another shout coming from the laser tag arena.

Sinead sighed, "Amy and Natalie are trying to shoot the boys with darts to get the sugar out of their bloodstream. But sugar makes you high on adrenaline, which makes you run fast, which, in Hamilton's case, makes him uncatchable."

I got up and looked down at my arms, seeing random green squiggles drawn across them. "Well, this is very…"

"Never eat sugar again!" Sinead snapped.

"Sinead, you, of all people, should know that sugar is in almost every food," Ned said, and Sinead sighed.

"Don't eat more than 50 grams of sugar in one day." Sinead finally said, "Or else you will go all sugar-high again, and I don't think Phoenix can stand it."

_Hamilton_

JONAH CALLED SINEAD HIS GIRLFRIEND! I CAN'T BELIEVE HIM! I chased Jonah around the laser tag arena, jumping on top of glowing white cubes and grabbing ropes. Jonah was cowering in a corner, yelling, "YO! HAMMER BOY! YOU BETTER NOT HURT DA WIZ, CUZ THIS FACE IS INSURED!" Then he got up and started dancing and singing, "OH, YEAH, OH, YEAH, THAT'S WHAT MAKES YOU ONE THING!"

There were flames dashing through the air, but they didn't burn anything up. Too bad…I wanted them to go right through JONAH, that idiot who thinks SINEAD is his girlfriend! I lunge at Jonah and he bounces away, singing, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! TWINKLE BIRTHDAY TO YOU! TWINKLE TWINKLE BIRTHDAY STAR!"

I ran after him, but behind me a girl tried to tackle me to the ground. HA! As if that was possible! "HAMILTON!" The girl yelled, "HOLD STILL!"

Of course, then I ran away from the girl, jumping up onto a ladder and navigating to the top floor. "JONAH! WHERE ARE YOU? I STILL WANT TO KILL YOU!"

A girl dropped down from the ceiling. She was surrounded in a green halo of light, and her hair was blue. "Hamilton…good night," She pointed a silver dart gun at me…and everything went black.

_Madison_

I woke up to Ned standing over me, looking at something on my arm. "Hey…" I said groggily. "What's going on?" The last thing I remembered was Ned and Ted tearing into mine and Reagan's room, and shoving candy down our throats.

I slowly sat up, looked at Ned again-and burst out laughing. He had a purple mustache, blue whiskers, and orange stripes down his arms and a big green heart on his nose. "What happened to you?"

"Ugh, apparently we all got sugar-rush-like, freaked out Phoenix, and then Natalie and Amy shot darts into our arms that drains out all the sugar in our bloodstream," Ned was looking at the dart in my arm, stuck in there by a needle. He gently pulled it out and looked at the meter, "150 grams of sugar. Wow."

"You know, the last thing I remember is you and Ted coming into my room and shoving all that sugar down my mouth," I smile weakly, and Ned holds out an orange-striped hand to help me up.

"Sorry about that," He chuckles dryly. "I was on a sugar rush."

"Yeah, I gathered that," I said, standing up, my head woozy.

"You know, Madison," Sinead said from where she was kneeling over Ian, currently checking the dart stuck on his arm, "You were acting as sugar-high Jonah's backup dancer with Reagan."

I looked horrified, and Ned asked. Beside me, Reagan was knocked out, and Ted was bent over her, talking to himself/Reagan. I couldn't hear what he was saying. "Where's everyone else?"

A scream came from the laser tag arena, answering my question. "DARTH VADER! NO! I HATE CHERRY! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"I'm assuming in there," I nod toward the laser tag arena.

"Yeah, Natalie and Amy are trying to track them down in there."

I smiled up at Ned, "How are you getting over this sugar rush? Headaches?" I could see Ted groaning and rubbing his eyes, so I thought that maybe the sugar rush had a lot of aftereffects.

"How did you know?" Ned smiled. I reached up and tapped his forehead. "OWWW!" Ned screamed, and I recoiled from him.

"Sorry, sorry…"

"Never do that again," Ned grumbled.

"You can't stay mad at me," I flash the most innocent smile I could muster.

"No," Ned finally sighs, "No, I can't."

_Reagan_

The first thing I saw when I woke up was Ted's face…scribbled all over with marker, of course. I burst out laughing, "What happened to you?"

"Ned happened to me," Ted grumbled, holding out a pink zebra-striped hand for me. I took it and he pulled me up. "We got on a sugar rush and we got in a marker war. Apparently you and Madison became sugar-high Jonah's backup dancers, and now Amy and Natalie are chasing the other sugar-high boys in the laser tag arena, trying to knock them out and drain the sugar from them with darts," Ted sighed.

I laughed, "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look hideous."

"Ouch," Ted said, "You don't know how much that hurt…especially coming from you."

"Cut that out, Ted, you're not a Janus," I grinned, "No need to be overdramatic."

Ted pulled a dart from my arm and looked at the meter on the side, "Uh…155 grams of sugar."

"So that's why I was dancing with Jonah, even though I don't remember it," I suddenly felt very dizzy and crumpled into Ted's arms.

"Oh, god, you don't have diabetes or anything, right?" Ted pushed me up and helped me stay standing.

"No…but 155 grams of sugar is a lot for one morning," I said, smiling at Ted. He smiles back.

"You should rest. I don't think you're as immune to everything as your sister…"

"Yeah, Madison's endurance levels are very good," I said, flopping down on a recliner.

"Take it easy," Ted smiles at me. He leans forward, "Oh, and about yesterday? What you said to me?" He pushes a few strands of my blond hair out of my eyes.

_That I had a crush on you?_ "Yes?"

"I like you, too," he presses something to my forehead and I fall asleep.

_Jonah_

I woke up in a dark room aglow with lights, lying next to Dan. The last thing I remember was a dart…and Amy…and singing? My mind was all jumbled.

"HELLO? IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?" I sang, and immediately someone comes running in.

"Jonah! You're finally up!" Amy.

Dan, who was lying next to me, opens his eyes. "Ughhh…my stomach hurts. What just happened?"

"You two went on extreme sugar-rushes and went on a rant around the laser tag arena," Sinead said, appearing behind Amy.

The laser tag arena…so that's where we were. Sinead rushed to Dan's side. "Dan, I bet you had the most sugar," Pulling the dart from Dan's arm. "So that's why we injected you with multiple sugar-pumping darts."

"Huh?" I asked. Sugar-pumping darts?

"It took them long enough to wake up. Ian already did, didn't he? Five minutes ago. And they woke us up at like, four in the morning! It's six o'clock right now," Amy informed Sinead. I was still _very _confused about what was going on.

Sinead tossed a bundle of fabric toward me, "You might want to put on your pajamas, Jonah."

I looked down and saw that I was wearing my sparkly gold boxers. Well…that was embarrassing. I grabbed the striped pajamas and pulled them on. Dan was still pretty out of it. "I saw…purple skittles…" he mumbled, and then passed out again.

Amy turned to Sinead. "Could you get my dweeb of a brother out of there for me?"

Sinead nodded, and Amy grabbed my hand and pulled me up. "Come on, Jonah…"

We walked out of the laser tag arena, and when Ian saw Amy's hand in mine, his eyes grew dark. "Let go of her hand, Jonah."

Amy blushed and dropped my hand.

I flopped down on a chair, "So, would anyone mind telling me what just happened?"

_Phoenix_

I filled Jonah in on what just happened, and after I was done, everyone who had been on sugar-highs stared at me weirdly.

"I was _dancing _with Jonah?" Madison demanded.

"I actually said, 'Statistics show blue whiskers are good for health?'" Ted looked shocked. He was sitting beside Reagan, brushing her hair out of his eyes.

"I attacked Jonah because he said Amy was his girlfriend?" Ian looked horrified. "What a…peasant-like thing to do."

"I tried to kill Jonah…because of Sinead?" Hamilton looked confused.

"Hamilton was trying to kill me and I didn't get hurt?" Jonah looked shocked.

Amy stood up, yawning. "Let's just pretend that this morning never happened, okay?"

Everyone muttered agreement and filed out of the room, Jonah dragging along an unconscious Dan, Ted carrying Reagan.

Well, I had to admit…I just went through one of the most horrifying experiences of my life.

-End-

**A/N: And there you have it. What I am going to call the Sugar Rush chapter…I'm sorry if I didn't do some of the POVs really well, but I have no idea how to write a first person POV when the person's having a sugar rush. Okay, so REVIEW!**

**And how to review, you ask? Well, first of all, you press that little button down there that says, 'Review this story/chapter.' A box should come up, and then you get to type a message in it telling me what you think of this chapter! Awesome, right? So now that you know how to review…NO EXCUSES FOR NOT REVIEWING! Review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here's another chapter! And guess what inspired me to write this? The fact that I have now THREE PAGES worth of reviews for this story! Yayyyy! This chapter is dedicated to all the die-hard Amian shippers out there, the people who just love the idea of Natan/Danatalie, and the people who like Hamnead! (Not to mention Teagan and Nedison). I thought I was really overdue for a fluffy romance chapter…so here you go!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: Who should I get to do the disclaimer today? Oh, yes…DAN!**

**Dan: WHAT DO YOU WANT? IT BETTER BE IMPORTANT! IT TOOK ME AGES TO GET TO THAT LEVEL IN MY VIDEO GAME AND…**

**Me: Dan, nobody cares. Just do the disclaimer for me.**

**Dan: No! **

**Me: Fine…name your price.**

**Dan: Skittles.**

**Me: No, you'll go on a SUGAR HIGH! And we don't want that…**

**Dan: I WANT MY SKITTLES! **

**Me: I'll get you cheat codes…**

**Dan: Good enough. Dream. Love. Smile doesn't own the 39 Clues, coffee, or whatever random thing she might've mentioned in here.**

**Me: Good Dan! Now…read on :)**

_Amy_

"That was probably the weirdest two hours I have ever lived through," Sinead said, after we had recovered from all the sugar-rush madness. Sinead and I were in our bathroom, talking about how crazy the boys got after sugar.

"Yeah," I agreed, wiping my face with a towel, "If we didn't have Natalie's sugar-draining darts, we would be dead."

"How true," Sinead went out of the washroom and I could hear her rummaging around for something to wear. "What crazy bonding activity do you think Fiske has made up for us today?"

"Knowing Fiske, nothing that _won't _get us to bond," I replied, washing my hands with cool water.

"Yeah…" Sinead paused. "Should I wear a dress today?"

"Since when did you wear dresses?" I asked, "And since when did you care about appearance?"

"Since, well…" Sinead trailed off and I mentally cursed myself for not thinking about it before. _Hamilton. _Of course…

"No, I don't think you should wear a dress," I replied, "I don't think Hamilton really cares, and knowing all the things Fiske makes us do, it's probably active. And if he sets up some sort of obstacle course, I don't think you can navigate it in a dress."

"Yeah," Sinead said from the bedroom. "Thanks."

Ten minutes later, we were dressed-Sinead in a white t-shirt and red shorts, me in a jade green top and white shorts. We went down to the sitting room to have breakfast.

This time, the scene in there was much less freaky. Everyone was sitting/reclining around the coffee table. On the coffee table was a bunch of bread and jam and butter and croissants, and cups of coffee and tea.

Sinead and I both sank down in beanbag chairs, and I grabbed a cup of coffee and a croissant. "Who made breakfast?" I asked, sipping my coffee slowly.

Ian smiled at me from across the room. "Jonah. He felt bad about the whole sugar rush thing."

I grinned at Ian, "As he should."

Jonah, who was reclining on a recliner, talking to Phoenix, turned to look at me. "Hey! It's not my fault Dan found ten bags of Skittles in the kitchen! I can't resist the power of Skittles! Haven't you read any of my magazine interviews?"

"No, Jonah," Reagan rolled her eyes, "We don't keep up with your life because none of us here is a fan of Jonah Wizard."

"BURRRNNN!" Hamilton yelled, as Dan turned to glare at Jonah.

"So now it's _my _fault because _I _found the Skittles? Blame it on Fiske for even stocking this place with Skittles!" Dan protested.

Madison was flipping through the Notebook of Fiske's instructions. "It says, underneath today's date, '_I hope yesterday was an amazing bonding experience! Today…I'm giving you some time off. Go down to the beach for a beach day.'_"

"Why do I sense trouble?" Ted mumbled underneath his breath.

"This is so out of character," Reagan agreed.

"And whenever Fiske is out of character…" Dan sighed.

"…something bad happens," Natalie filled in.

We all stare at Dan and Natalie blankly. "Natalie, Daniel, it is almost as if you and the Starling boys have switched places. It is…scary," Ian commented, and I nodded.

"It's D-A-N DAN!" Dan yelled, "Can't you Cobras get that into your heads?"

"Perhaps, Daniel, we shall stop calling you Daniel if you stop calling us Cobras," Natalie said calmly, sipping a glass of juice.

"Well, that is never going to happen. I am going to keep calling you Cobras," Dan snapped at Natalie, imitating a horrible British accent.

"Then, Daniel, we will keep calling you Daniel," Ian said, "That is the way the world works, _Daniel_."

"Wait, there's more," Madison interrupted, "Underneath that sentence about the beach day."

"Of course there is," Phoenix grumbled, "Can't you Cahills just be normal and leave it at a beach day?"

"Phoenix, Cahillls can never be normal," Sinead sighed, "We can only dream…"

"What, you dream about us…" Ted/Ned began.

"…being normal?" The other Starling boy finished. "We have to see…"

"…if you really do."

"No! You are not planting a chip on me again!" Sinead spluttered, and Madison and Reagan laughed.

"Okay, this is what it says underneath today's date," Madison started again, "'_I hope yesterday was an amazing bonding experience! Today…I'm giving you some time off. Go down to the beach for a beach day. But when you're down there, exploring the beach, you need to be in the same partners I put you in yesterday. Have fun! I hope you bonded yesterday, because if you haven't…then you get to do it today, as well!'"_

"Is he always that cheery?" Reagan shook her head.

"Yes," Dan and I mumbled at the same time.

"Well…I'll enjoy our beach day, love." Ian grinned at me over the rim of his cup, and I felt myself blush furiously.

Dan and Natalie both said, "Eww…" Then they turned to each other and both got identical evil smirks on their faces.

"Uh…Dan? Natalie? Are you sure you two are all right? You're getting along…" Hamilton said cautiously. He looked freaked out.

"Oh, we're perfectly fine, Dolt."

"Don't you call him Dolt!" Sinead spluttered, and everyone turned to look at her. She bit into her bread, "Uh…never mind."

Fiske never gives the bonding thing a rest, does he?

_Dan_

I'll have to spend the whole day with Natalie, but at least we can go over ways to break Amy and Ian apart. Amy's obviously so in love with Mr. Cobra. Hmm…I'll have to tease her about the whole mind-meld thing and love alien thing soon.

I walked down to the beach with Hamilton, wearing my swim trunks. The beach had soft, white sand and the water was awesome. There were gigantic rocks that people could sit on everywhere, and on one of the rocks, Natalie was sitting, wearing a hot pink bikini with a white and pink striped beach bag slung over her shoulder. I stared.

Hamilton traced my gaze and burst out laughing, "Oh, Dan…"

I turned red, "Go and have fun with your girlfriend, Hammy."

Sinead was sitting on a rock with Amy, wearing a yellow bikini. They're talking about something, and Amy would turn red all the time. I'll bet a million dollars it was Ian…or Hamilton.

Hamilton ran off for Sinead without taking a second look at me. On second thought, maybe I should call _him _the love alien. I walked up to Natalie. "Hey, Nat Cobra."

"If I call you Dan, will you stop calling me Nat Cobra?" Natalie winced at the sound of the name. "The name _Nat Cobra _sounds so…undignified."

"_If _you call me Dan," I said, after thinking for a long time.

"All right, then. Hello, um, Dan," she said my name awkwardly. I grinned once the word _Dan _slipped out of her mouth. It was so satisfying to have Natalie Kabra call me something other than Daniel.

"Natalie," I said, as she jumped off the rock. We start walking along the beach. "So," I said, after a while, not being able to stand the awkward silence, "You got any other useful poisons that will make people fall out of love?"

Natalie turned to look at me, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, yes," She rummaged around in her bag for a moment. Then she pulled out six vials of poison and handed three of them to me. "Here, take a look, um, Dan."

I tried to ignore the random tingle that shot up my spine whenever she said _Dan. _I held one of the vials up to the sun. It was a clear liquid, but much thicker than water. It barely even moved around in the vial. "What's this one?"

Natalie reached up to touch it, smiling. "Oh, that one…that one is a poison that makes people forget."

"_Forget?_"

"Yes, it wipes away all memory of either the last two hours to the last two years, depending on the amount of the dose. Also, if you insert it into a special dart that's connected to a microchip, it'll sort of act like a hard drive. The person's memories will be like files in the hard drive, and you could choose which ones to delete." Natalie's eyes were bright, and she was completely focused.

_She's so pretty. _WHAT THE HECK? WHERE DID THAT THOUGHT COME FROM?

"That's…amazing."

"It's Advanced Lucian Technology mixed with Advanced Ekaterina Technology," Natalie replied. She swallowed, "I created it…with help from Sinead."

"You're brilliant," I actually smile a genuine smile at the Cobra, and either my eyes were deceiving me-or Natalie had blushed.

Natalie touched my palm and picked up one of the other vials she had given me. "These are all poisons that allow you to control." Then she reached into her beach bag and pulled out a tiny vial. She handled it carefully. "And this…this is the Lucian treasure. It allows you to completely infiltrate a person's mind."

"Sometimes I think Ian's used that on Amy," I grumbled, and Natalie actually laughed.

"It's a possibility. I wouldn't put it past my brother-he is that lovesick," Natalie shuddered. "It makes him so impossibly vulnerable."

"Here, have them back," I said, handing the vials back to her. If I was a Lucian and had access to all those poisons that did all that…well, let's just say people had better watch out.

_Ian_

Amy and I walk alongside the beach, and my eyes go up and scan the rock outcroppings and all the different designs of rocks, looking for a secret entrance or something of the sort. Lucian instinct. I catch sight of what looked like an entrance to a cove of some sort at the end of the beach. I nudge Amy, "Say we go see what's through that gap between the rocks."

"N-no."

"Come on, Amy, it's not like…Alistair. Fiske actually gave us permission to explore the grounds."

"I'm game if you are," Amy dived into the water and started swimming toward the opening. "Race you!" I jumped in after her.

"Love," I laughed, overtaking her and slipping into the gap between the rocks, "Kabras never lose. You should know that by now."

Amy comes in after me, and pulls herself up on a gigantic rock poking out of the water in the small cave area. "Kabras never lose because they don't play fair."

"I'm hurt you think of me that way, love," I said, pulling myself up onto the rock and sitting beside her. We sit side by side, our feet dangling in the water. I flash a charming smile at her that would have any other girl crawling at my feet.

Not Amy. She smiles coolly at me, "Ian, how can I not, after all you've done to me?"

"I thought you had forgiven me."

"I have."

"Have I ever told you that you make no sense, love?"

Amy gives me a little push. "I make perfect sense!"

I wrap my arm around her, "I never said you didn't, love."

She huffs, "You're the one that makes no sense."

"Ah, but I don't have to make sense, love. I have people crawling at my feet whenever I smile at them," I smile at her, and she blushes. "See?"

"Once a Kabra, always a Kabra," Amy mutters, and I stroke her beautiful red hair.

"Love, I do not know whether to be insulted or not."

Amy turns to look at me, her jade green eyes sparkling, and I felt my pulse rate. "You should be insulted."

"Well, then I am not insulted I the least bit, love." I smile brightly, and I feel her laugh.

I lean forward and cup her chin in her hands, and soon I'm kissing her, and it's like what I hoped for in Korea but never happened, what I started but never finished in Korea but never finished, what-

Amy pushed me in the water and I rose, spluttering. "What was that for?"

Her response was a light, tinkling laugh.

_Natalie_

Dan…

His eyes sparkled in the light as he inspected the poisons in my hands, his eyes gleaming mischievously. "These poisons are dreams come true," he murmured.

"I grew up with them," I admitted. "They're nothing to me."

"How can they be nothing?" Dan asked, looking up at me. "They're amazing! Think of all the damage I could do with these…"

"Remind me to never let you open these vials," I said, putting them back in my bag.

Dan lunged forward and grabbed the bag. Normally, I would've found that annoying, but I found it interesting now, wondering what he was going to do…

Dan opened the pink bag and started sorting through all the stuff I had in there. "Natalie, this stuff is ridiculous! A compact? Ten different kinds of lipstick? We're at the beach here!"

I snatched my bag back, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about my Lancôme beauty products. "Give it back! And what are you going to do about it?"

A mischievous look appeared on Dan's face. "Natalie, I'm going to teach you how to have fun." He kicked my bag out of my hands. It landed on the sand, and I shrieked. Dan picked me up in a princess hold and walked out onto the water.

"DAN! I DEMAND YOU LET ME DOWN NOW! NOW!"

Dan bent down and dropped me in the water. I shrieked. "MY HAIR! MY…" I was drowned out by the water. I resurfaced, spluttering. "DANIEL! I AM GOING TO KILL…" Dan snuck up from behind me and grabbed my shoulders. I shrieked, again.

"I thought we had an agreement that you weren't going to call me Daniel," Dan said, pushing down on my shoulders. "That's what you get for _breaking _that agreement!" I was dunked in the water.

I resurfaced. Dan was already swimming out to sea. I swam out to him. "How dare you ruin my hair!"

"Natalie, what's over is over," Dan said calmly, grinning at me. He's floating on his back on the water. "Can't you just have fun?"

My eyes flashed. "Dan, my definition of _fun _is _shopping! _This is _not _fun!"

"Natalie." Dan's jade green eyes met mine and my stomach lurched. "Have fun."

I grinned evilly. "Fine, if that's what you want." I splash a bunch of water on him and dunk him in the water.

_Sinead_

Hamilton walks along the water with me, silent. After a while of this, I cough and break the silence. "How's your life in Africa?"

He pauses for a moment, running his hands through his hair. "Good enough. Mom and Dad threw a fit when I left with Madison and Reagan…but they've learned to accept it."

"I see." I said, thinking of another thing we could talk about. I finally settled on Phoenix. "Don't you feel sorry for Phoenix sometimes?"

He looked surprised. "Sorry for Phoenix? No. Why should I feel sorry for the little dude?"

"It's just that, he doesn't know much about us. Really. And when you guys go crazy, like this morning," Hamilton chuckles dryly as I said this, "He gets really freaked out. Have you ever thought it was unfair that he just gets _thrown _into our crazy family?"

Hamilton considered this for a moment, and I admire how much muscle he has. Great, now I sound like one of those lovesick girls in really sappy movies. No wonder Ned, Ted, and Amy said I was becoming a sappy romantic…

"I do feel sorry for Phoenix. I feel sorry for us, too. I mean, we were born in families that lived for the 39 Clues. We were raised on the 39 Clues. We ate, lived, and breathed the 39 Clues. The 39 Clues were even located within us! I mean…if you think about it that way, doesn't it seem very obsessive?"

I'm silent for a while. "You're smarter than the Ekaterina give you credit for," I finally said.

Hamilton huffed, "Did you think _all _the Tomas was stupid?"

"No…"

"Of course you didn't."

"Have you ever thought your siblings were annoying?" I rubbed my temple. "I can't believe Ned and Ted made Madison plant a chip on me to see what I was _dreaming!"_

"Ditto," Hamilton said, grinning. "Though it was interesting to see what you dreamed."

"Oh, please, my dream was nothing compared to yours."

"Me singing to you?"

"Me making out with you in a laser tag arena?"

"Fine…the laser tag thing is pretty nuts, since I know you'll never play laser tag voluntarily," Hamilton grinned at me.

I shuddered at the mention of laser tag.

"So, Sinead, you want your dream to come true?"

"What?"

"_You're insecure, don't know what for…"_

_Ted_

Reagan played with her hair self-consciously. We were sitting on a ledge overlooking the ocean, and Reagan was telling me about her family. "We were raised on physical strength, nothing else. We were taught how to smash bricks. I could smash ten bricks with my bare hands without even breaking a sweat when I was five."

"That's the exact opposite of _my _childhood," I commented. "Like, really. _I _was raised on mental strength. I was constantly locked up in a library full of knowledge and told to memorize books. I had memorized the dictionary and ten thousand books when I was six."

"Wow," Reagan said, "That's a lot…"

"Yeah," I leaned back on the hard rock, "I was also raised to trust no one but Sinead and Ned and my own parents."

"Well, the 39 Clues tend to make parents to that to their children," Reagan said, hugging her knees to her chest. "They hope that their children can find the 39 Clues for them, so they train their children at whatever their area of expertise is, I guess."

"Yes. Ekaterinas always have some random invention up their sleeve. It's…Ekaterina instinct."

Reagan looked me over, "Don't see any invention, Ted. You sure?"

I rolled my eyes at her, "Never underestimate an Ekaterina." I tapped the waistband of my swim trunks, and the fabric folds back, revealing a bunch of miniscule sticks and microchips. I pull out a miniscule stick and wave it in front of Reagan's face.

"Uh…" Reagan said, her eyes darting around to follow the stick.

I tap it once, and the stick turns into a pen. Twice, and it turns into a flashlight. Three times, it turns into a lock-picking tool. Four times, a knife. Five times, a spear. One last time, and it turns back into a miniscule stick.

Reagan shakes her head, "Sometimes I wish I come from a different branch. Tomas have nothing but their pure strength."

"Sometimes, brute force is enough, sometimes, you have to rely on tactics," I reply. "And don't think your branch is bad, it's really an amazing branch."

I smile at her, and she smiles back, lighting up my whole world.

_Ned_

Madison and I are somewhere on the beach, lying on the sand. Madison is picking up the sand and letting it seep through her fingers.

"Ned…I know you're smart, but how smart are you really? What's your IQ?"

I paused. How was I supposed to answer that? And I didn't know what my IQ was…the last time I had taken an IQ test, the person administrating the test was so blown away by my results, and Sinead and Ted's, that she never even showed it to us. "I don't know," I finally said, "But it's probably high enough."

"What's being part of the Ekaterina branch like?" Madison asked, staring up at the sun. "The Tomas branch is just…sort of old. They don't have any innovations, ever, they only rely on one thing and one thin only-strength."

"Ekaterina relies on knowledge," I replied.

"So, let's play a game."

I sit up, staring at Madison. Her blond hair is covering half of her face, so I can't see her eyes. "A game?"

"Yes. I say a word, and you say what you know about it."

"Fine. You do like testing my knowledge with random stuff, don't you?" I smile, and Madison grins.

"Who wouldn't? It's amazing how you know something about everything. Now, tell me all you know about this name: Alana."

I paused for a moment, sifting through the archive of information in my brain. Finally, I said, "Alana. Girl name. Different spellings: A-l-a-n-n-a, A-l-a-n-a-h, and A-l-a-n-n-a-h. Has disputed origins. Different origins it can be from-the language of Old High German, meaning 'precious.' Could also mean, 'attractive.'"

"Wow, Ned," Madison was staring at me, "I give you a random name, you know everything about it. How about this name: Madison."

"Meaning of the name, 'Son of Maud, or Matthew's son.'" I replied, and paused. "I think I like the meaning of the name Alana better."

"Hey!" Madison protested, throwing sand at me.

I dusted sand off my arms, "Don't go doing that before I've finished saying something! So I'm going to call you Alana from now on, Madison. Keep in mind it means 'precious,' and 'attractive.'"

_Hamilton_

When I started singing, the look on Sinead's face was priceless. Her eyes widened and her jaw literally dropped.

"…_that's what makes you beautiful._" I finished singing, and Sinead stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"You _do _have a heart," She whispered in my ear. "I honestly never thought you did…"

I picked her up, and she shrieked. "What? You didn't think I had a heart? Why?"

It did sort of hurt. Sinead, not thinking I had a heart? What could've happened to make her possibly think that?

She nodded toward the scars, very pale, but still there, on her arms, and the memory came back to me.

The bomb going off…and then high-fiving my Dad, and then, and then…

I never thought it would hurt Sinead, though. If I did I wouldn't have done it at all. Not for my life.

"I'm sorry," I breathed, the words barely even audible. "I'm sorry."

Sinead tilts her head up to look at me. Her eyes flash for a moment with anger. "You scarred me for life; you scarred my brothers for life. They're fine, now, but do you know how long they had to live with those handicaps? Years. It was torture for me, watching them struggle through it…" Sinead trembles, and bites her lip. She closes her eyes. "Ted, it was horrible seeing him. He couldn't see. His senses were a hundred times sharper, and that was a help, but no matter how many inventions I dreamed up and created to help him, they didn't help him see! The nights I spent awake, thinking of what Ted must be going through…" She shakes her head. "And Ned…we would be coming up with a brilliant plan, and then he would start twitching and fall to the floor with a headache. And whenever he did that, I would bring him aspirin, all the advanced Ekaterina medicine…but nothing worked. Whenever he started having a headache, I wanted to cry." She looks up into my eyes again. "But…they're fine now. It's over now. But these scars will serve forever as memories."

"I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please," I whispered. Seeing her talk about all her pain, all the pain that _I _had caused her…well, broke me. It made me feel like I was hurting, too, that I was going through all the pain that she had.

Sinead raised her head, "It's over…so I can."

I lean down and my lips collide with hers, and we both crumble down onto the sandy beach. I pull her closer, closer…and I never want to let go.

_Madison_

"So, _Alana,_" Ned grins at me, and I hear his voice in my head again. _Remember that Alana means 'precious,' and 'attractive.' _ "What do you want to do?"

"Have a race, because I know for sure I can beat you in that," I grin at him, and Ned rolls his eyes.

"Don't be so sure. Swimming?"

"Yes." I smile. I could swim really fast…I could even give my Dad a run for his money.

Ned grinned, "Swimming, then. You got any rules?"

"That there are no rules." I glided into the water and Ned comes in behind me.

"Where are we racing, _Alana?_" He grinned at me and a tingle shot up my spine.

I look around until I spot a bridge of rocks a couple hundred meters away. "There."

Ned shrugged, and then, out of nowhere, he produced some sort of microchip. He throws it in the water and it expands into a raft with a _motor. _

"Hey!" I protest, as Ned jumps up on the raft and starts the motor.

"You said it yourself, _Alana-_there are no rules," He's already at least a hundred feet away now, yelling back at me. I start propelling my arms, but I know I'll never catch up to him and his fancy Ekaterina technology.

Suddenly, Ned turns back and holds out his hand to me. "Need some help, Alana?" A smile was on his face, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, sure, why not," I let myself be pulled up on the raft.

Ned smiles as he steers the thing, "This is fun."

"Sure it is, driving around aimlessly. Fun."

"Yes, _Alana, _fun."

And I had to admit, when he said _Alana-_the whole ridiculous thing suddenly did turn _fun._

_Remember that Alana means 'precious,' and 'attractive.'_

_Reagan_

Ted is…amazing, basically. Currently, he's showing me a lot of his inventions.

He pulls out a microchip and hands it to me. "Put your finger on it and say your name."

"Reagan Holt," I said, and watched as a hologram projected out of the microchip. A picture of me, and a list of my information scrolling down.

_Name: Reagan Holt_

_Parents: Eisenhower and Marry-Todd Holt_

_Siblings: Madison Holt, (twin). Hamilton Holt, (older brother)._

_Other information:_

Underneath 'other information,' was basically my whole life story. I stared at it, shocked, "How…?"

"Ekaterinas research on everybody opposing them on the clue hunt. They store information. A lot of it," Ted smiled weakly at me. "You know that's what Ekats value the most. Information."

I swat him on the arm, "So you've been doing research on me?"

"And she figures it out," Ted buried his face in his hands. "Well, yes. I was…curious about you."

Ted smiles at me, and the sun shines down brighter.

_Jonah_

Phoenix turned to look at me. "Jonah…"

"Yeah, little dude?"

"Could you tell me something about everybody that was invited to this reunion? I'm really confused, and I always feel like I'm left out."

"This _again, _Phoenix?"

"Yes…"

"No, Phoenix, just, no…" I shake my head, "You'll never be able to fully understand this family. Best way to learn is by experience."

"Experience that traumatizes me?" Phoenix raised his eyebrows, and I could tell he was thinking about this morning.

"Yes, because all Cahills will eventually traumatize you…one way or another."

_Phoenix_

What does Jonah mean, all Cahills will traumatize me?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, all the Cahills have betrayed each other either one time or another. It'll happen to you…eventually."

-End-

**A/N: And I have given you three chapters in one day, yet again. And one of them was the longest chapter ever…and this one was quite long, too! You better have liked them. And you know what inspires me to write? Reviews. So, Review and I'll write more for you.**

**And just a heads-up: I have to start school tomorrow, so I won't be updating as often…**

**NOW CLICK THAT BUTTON DOWN THERE AND REVIEW ;D**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday…school just started, so yeah. I still feel guilty for not updating, though…I hope the nine chapters I poured out during the weekend sustained all of you ;) But here's another chapter! And I rather like Amy, Ian, Dan, and Natalie's POVs…for those of you who ship the whole Starling/Holt things, I'm sorry if their POVs were short! I couldn't think of anything…hehehe…anyway, enough of my useless author's notes that I'm not sure anyone reads…READ ON!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: NATALIE! DAN! **

**Natalie: WHAT?**

**Dan: AGAIN?**

**Me: I want you to do the disclaimer! And get together, so all Natan fans shall rejoice!**

**Dan: NO! **

**Natalie: NO!**

**Me: *sigh* Why do you two deny your true feelings for each other?**

**Dan: WE DON'T DENY THEM! WE SHOW THEM! WE HATE EACH OTHER! I HATE NATALIE!**

**Natalie: The feeling is mutual, Daniel.**

**Dan: I thought you called me DAN in this story!**

**Me: JUST DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Dan: Fine. Dream. Love. Smile. Does not own me, the awesomeness of ninjas, ninja stars, video games…**

**Natalie: or the wonderful, beautiful, fantastic me, or any of the wonderful, beautiful, fantastic beauty products and labels I wear!**

**Me: …what about the 39 Clues?**

**Dan and Natalie: Fine. She doesn't own the 39 Clues either. **

**Me: I'm sorry if I wasted your time with this super-long disclaimer! And now…I present to you the first double digit chapter…CHAPTER TEN!**

_Amy_

After Ian had dragged himself out of the water and had recovered his lost pride, we had explored the sea shore and collected a lot of shells and shiny rocks. Ian laid them out on a long rock, and I smile at the shells and rocks. "They're so beautiful."

I saw Ian roll his eyes, "Of course you would think they're beautiful. I've seen better. Much better."

I hit him on the arm. "Come on! Even you have to admit they're beautiful."

Ian laughed, "Love, these shells are nothing out of the ordinary."

I roll my eyes, "Well, just because you've seen better doesn't mean I have," I picked up a shell that was tinted blue, with flecks of gold. I turned it around, and the light of the fading sun illuminated the gold flecks. "Look at this one-isn't it gorgeous?"

"I've seen ones that were pure gold," Ian said, indifferently.

"But this is _natural, _made by nature," I tried to explain why I liked it so much. "Doesn't that make it so much more _meaningful?_"

"Love, I don't understand you sometimes," Ian said, "How is something made by nature more meaningful? Is it not better to have it not made by nature and exactly the way you like it?"

I sighed and gave up, "Ian, you really have to learn to appreciate nature." I picked up a glossy green rock, smooth and shiny. It was almost like jade, like Grace's necklace. I pressed the stone into his palm, "Here, keep this, and when you look at it, remember what I said to you. Maybe _someday _you'll learn how to appreciate it."

Ian holds the stone up to my face and smiles, "Whenever I look at this stone, I'll probably remember you, love. The colour is almost exactly like your eyes. It matches."

I blush, "Ian…"

Ian smirks at me, "Why do you get embarrassed so easily? It really does limit conversation."

I pick up another shell and hold it up to the light, "This one is absolutely breathtaking."

It was amazing, really. Pinks and oranges and reds blended together, almost like a sunset.

"_That,_ love, is a sunset shell. They're incredibly rare," Ian said, smiling at me. "You should keep it. It should amount to something someday."

"Ian, I have no intention of _selling _it. I'll keep it…I'll never have the heart to sell something so beautiful."

Ian ran his hands over the smooth green stone, "I thought you would say that, love. You really do love the least spectacular things."

"How can you call _this_," I held up the sunset shell, "Not spectacular? Is there something wrong with your brain?"

Ian narrowed his eyes at me, "I assure you, love, my brain is perfectly fine." He glances out over the horizon, at the setting sun. "Perhaps we should go back to the mansion now."

"I want to see the sunset," I said, sitting down on the beach.

Ian ran his hands through his still-damp hair, "As you wish, love." He smirks, "I've noticed, love, that you have not objected to me calling you love."

I raised my eyebrows, "Oh, yes, that's overdue, isn't it? Well, Ian, DON'T CALL ME LOVE!"

Ian smirked, the signature Kabra smirk, "Very well, love."

"See, you never listen."

"I do listen, love, I just choose not to obey." He stared out at the sun, which was starting to go down. Orange and pink clouds stretched out in the sky, blending together, and I look at the sunset shell in my hand. Ian stretched out his legs and dipped his feet in the water. When the sun started disappearing and darkness started taking over, he turned and kissed me on the lips.

A sunset kiss…my hands find his hair and I run my fingers through it, and Ian smiles against my lips. We finally break apart and I sigh as the sun disappears and the stars start appearing.

"Well, love," Ian said, turning and tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. "I suppose you're hungry now? We haven't eaten anything all day."

I stand up and brush sand off my arms, "Yeah, I guess so."

Ian paused, "Would you like to join me for dinner?"

"Join you for dinner?"

"Yes…I found out, when I was exploring, that, on the seventh floor of the mansion, there is a…well, you'll find out if you meet me there, won't you?" Ian's amber eyes gleamed.

"Sure…"

"I'll see you there in thirty minutes, then, love." Ian stood up and started walking back toward the house.

I glance after him, wondering what he had planned. I mean, he was a Kabra. They were very unpredictable.

Then again, all Cahills were very unpredictable.

_Dan_

I was sitting on a rock, waiting for Natalie to come back from spying on Ian and Amy. Once we found their location, on a beach, Natalie insisted on going to spy on them. She also insisted that she would be the one to spy on them, because, as she put it-_'I am the Lucian, and I'm, of course, the best at stealth and spying.'_

Just then, a figure came running up to me. Natalie, her black hair flying out behind her. "Daniel-."

I coughed, looking at her expectantly, and Natalie rolled her eyes. "_Dan-_I saw them kissing. At sunset. And Ian asked Amy to meet him on the seventh floor tonight."

I raised my eyebrows. Ian and Amy, alone, on the seventh floor? What was even up on the seventh floor? "Well…that's…interesting."

Natalie smiled at me, and I find myself staring for longer than I should be. "Dan, do you know what I'm thinking?"

"That tonight would be a perfect time to completely ruin their relationship? Yes," I smile back, as we start walking back to the mansion.

Natalie starts pulling things out of her beach bag. "Okay, Daniel-."

I coughed again, and Natalie huffed, "_Dan,_ here's what I need you to do." She presses a microchip and a vial of something in my hands. "Plant this microchip on Ian, on his shirt or something. This is a camera which will allow us to monitor their movements." She points to the vial and pulls out a dart/needle from her beach bag, "Load this poison in the vial into the dart, and inject Ian with it. It will make Ian clumsier and less able to move. That should slow down their physical interaction. After you're done that, meet me in the room Fiske locked us in, on the sixth floor."

I nodded, looking at the poison and dart curiously, "I love your Lucian technology."

"I'll take care of Amy," Natalie said. "Now go and get Ian…set up for his little meeting…"

I ran off, and Natalie yelled at me, "DON'T USE THAT POISON RECKLESSLY! IT'S A MINOR POISON, BUT OVERDOSE CAN CAUSE DEATH!"

"WHATEVER!" I called over my shoulder, turning the vial over in my hands. I ran into the mansion and up to the boys' suite. I shot into mine and Phoenix's room. He was sitting on his bed, strumming on the guitar. He looked up once I banged into the room.

"Uh…hi, Phoenix," I said, bending over and uncapping the vial. I load the poison into the dart and pocket the vial, dart, and microchip.

"Hi, Dan!" Phoenix said cheerily, and I gave him a forced grin.

"Bye, Phoenix," I said, running out of the door and closing it. I ran over to Ian's room and crashed into the room.

Ian's standing at his mirror, uncapping a bottle of hair gel. I ran into him. "Ian, buddy! Nice to see you, Cobra! COBRA! YAY! COBRAS ROCK!" I attach the microchip to his shirt. "COBRAS ARE AWESOME! AND YOU KNOW WHO'S THE AWESOMEST COBRA?" I asked, dancing around the room, desperate to keep him distracted.

"Is the awesome Cobra Natalie?" Ian raised his eyebrow.

_Well, yes. _I shook my head, "NO, IAN! THE AWESOME COBRA IS YOU! AWESOME RIGHT?" I ran up to Ian and injected the poison from the dart in his arm, then pocket the dart again.

"Daniel…have you had sugar?" Ian asked, looking at me weirdly.

"NO! I'M PERFECTLY SUGAR-FREE! YUP, THAT'S ME! BYE, IAN!" I shot out of Ian's room and closed the door behind me. Then I ran back into my room, collapsed on my bed, and started having a laughing fit for no particular reason.

Maybe because I had just succeeded in (sort of) tricking a Lucian.

_Ian_

That was extremely odd, Daniel coming into my room and hugging me, and yelling that I was the 'awesome Cobra.'

Oh, well. I shrugged it off. Daniel probably just had too much sugar, again. I turned to the mirror and saw the clock's reflection. I turned around to check the clock. OH, NO. It was already five minutes past when I said I would meet Amy! I dropped the hair gel, ran my hands through my hair, and ran out of the room.

I walked calmly out of the suite and into an elevator, and took it up to the seventh floor. The seventh floor was basically a large kitchen-like area with a sunroom, and an extremely large balcony with tables and chairs on it. A good place to have dinner, I suppose.

Amy wasn't there yet, which was good. I went into the kitchen and looked through the fridge. I had discovered, yesterday night, that it had various trays in it, stocked with full meals. I pulled a random tray out of the refrigerator, and put it in the oven.

I pulled out silverware and plates from a cabinet, and went out to the balcony to set the table there. As I was putting down the plates and arranging the napkins, I chuckled. Only three years ago I wouldn't be caught dead doing this-this was servant's work. Now yet here I am, _setting a table. _Father would be ashamed, but I wouldn't care.

I went back to the kitchen and pulled the tray out of the oven, and went out to the balcony and set the tray down, covering it with a tray cover.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming from behind me, "Ian, you're _setting a table?_ I never thought a Kabra would ever do that."

I turned and had to catch my breath. Amy looked breathtaking-her red hair arranged perfectly on her shoulders, wearing dangly green earrings with flecks of gold that shone when they caught the light of the moon. She was also wearing a jade butterfly barrette in her hair, and wearing a cream-coloured shirt and an army green jacket with jeans.

I took a deep breath, "I never thought I'd see the day when that happened, too. Yet here we are…I'm setting a table for _you._"

I reached forward to take her hand, but it took tremendous energy. It felt as if my hand was moving through syrup. Amy took it, and she tripped over her own feet on her way to the table. Blushing, she sat down and nodded toward the tray on the table. "Did you _cook, _too?"

"No. I know for a fact nobody would dare try a Lucian's cooking, because of fear that we slipped some sort of poison in there," I smiled and sat down across from her.

"Yes, well, that's true." Amy said, uncovering the tray to reveal two dishes of rice, steak, and mashed potatoes, (which I had heated), two glasses of water, and two bowls of custard. (Which I had added to the tray at the last minute). "This smells so good."

"Glad you think so, love." I smiled at her and she smiled back, reaching out for her portion of the meal.

I take my portion of the meal and start eating, and so does Amy.

"Hey, you know, Ian, I just realized you were wearing jeans and Converse," Amy said, looking down at the ground, at my shoes. "Not designer Armani suits."

"Well, I didn't think Armani suits were suitable for this occasion." _Or maybe I just didn't have enough money to buy that much Armani suits…_

"Or maybe you can't afford them anymore, hmm?" Amy grinned at me teasingly, and I rolled my eyes.

"Certainly not," a lie, but I have been taught to lie smoothly ever since I could speak.

"Of_ course _not," Amy smiled, her tone clearly indicating that she didn't believe me.

There was a long pause as we both ate. Then, Amy said, her voice soft and quivery this time, "What were you thinking?"

"Thinking when, love?" I looked up from my food.

"In…South Korea. What were you thinking when…you know."

_I flirted with you, charmed you. _I filled in the blanks myself. I stare at Amy for a long time, not sure how to respond. "Love…"

"Ian, I _would _really like to know."

"Love," I sighed, "I was under orders from my mother to make you fall in love with me and gain information from you. But as I was doing that…you interested me. I paid more attention to you. And then after…I regretted leaving you behind. I never expected to fall for you, but I did." I reach across the table, my hands growing heavier by the second. I cup her chin and pull Amy closer to me. Our lips met, and then we broke apart. "I never expected it. I was only under orders to make you fall in love with me…but you did the same, without even trying."

"Well you did a heck of a good job on it," Amy muttered, and I raised my eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

Amy looked up and blushed, "You did a heck of a good job making me fall in love with you. I guess…well, you never really left my mind, not even when I was dating Evan. The last letters of his name are _an, _just like yours. I dated him because…I guess I didn't know what else to do."

I smiled and leaned forward, but just then, Amy's arm jerked unexpectedly to the side and tipped her glass of water over. It splashed all over my shirt, and something on my shirt beeped. Amy raised her eyebrows and I looked down. A microchip was attached to my shirt.

So _that _was what Daniel was doing. I crush the microchip between my fingers. _A camera, _I mouthed to Amy. _Who do you think planted this?_

Amy's hands go up to her earrings and barrette. Then she takes the barrette off and drops it in water. It sizzled, and the camera built into it beeped red. She takes the earrings off and does the same. We both look at each other and then say at the exact same time-

"DAN AND NATALIE!"

_Natalie_

I bring a tablet, which is hooked up to the cameras Dan and I planted onto Amy and Ian, to the sixth floor. Dan's already waiting for me in the room where Fiske had locked us up yesterday. I sit down next to him on the couch and hand him the tablet. "Here. It's hooked up to the cameras. You did put the microchip on Ian, right?"

"Yeah," Dan replied, taking the tablet and inspecting the scene. One side of the screen said, 'Ian,' the other, 'Amy.'

I had given Amy a pair of earrings and a barrette with cameras concealed in them, telling her that, 'Ian told me about your dinner, so I decided to give something to you. So that you won't embarrass yourself.'

The Amy side of the screen was currently in a glass elevator, and the Ian side was setting a table. Oh, Ian…sets a table. The Kabras would be so ashamed.

Dan puts the tablet down on the coffee table, and props his feet up on the coffee table, "Well, this is going to be fun, isn't it? What did you do to Amy?"

"I gave her earrings-camera-and a barrette-microphone-and I injected her with a poison that would make her clumsy."

"Wait, you injected my sister with a _poison?_" Dan looked shocked.

I flicked a nonexistent piece of lint off my sweater. "I am a Lucian, Dan. Plus, you injected my brother with a poison, didn't you?"

"Right…"

I pulled my compact out of my pocket and checked my makeup. I touched up on the lipstick and blush. There. Perfect.

Dan was watching me curiously, "Why do you wear makeup and bother with all those designer clothes? Why do you bother?"

I drew in a deep breath, remembering back in Grade Two, when everyone in my private school…then I shook my head, "I wear it because I must keep my dignity."

Dan raises his eyebrows, "Putting on a mask is keeping your dignity?"

"Makeup is not a mask!"

"Yeah, but it might as well be." Dan leaned back. "No, really, why do you bother with makeup and designer clothes?"

"In Grade Two, in my private school, all the girls were so much prettier than me. They would say, every single day, to me, 'Natalie, you're so ugly.' That's when I started wearing makeup and designer clothes." I whisper, but Dan hears it anyway.

"Natalie, don't let anyone say you're not beautiful. You are. Don't let anyone say that."

"You think I'm beautiful?" I raise my eyebrows at Dan, and he blushes.

"Well, yeah…who doesn't?"

I lean forward, "Dan, nobody tells me I'm beautiful. Nobody _thinks _I'm beautiful."

"That's where you're wrong, because I do." Dan leaned forward and I could see his jade green eyes glittering. "You're beautiful, Natalie, you really are."

His mouth collides with mine, and soon I'm running my fingers through his hair, and he's pulling me on his lap, and it's all I've ever dreamed of-and then suddenly-

"DAN! NATALIE!"

"DAN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"NATALIE! WHAT ARE _YOU _DOING?"

Oh, amazing. It's Amy and Ian.

I break apart from Dan and we both smile innocently at our siblings, "Nothing."

_Sinead_

Hamilton and I are the only ones in the sitting room. It's quiet, and we're eating sandwiches and drinking sodas.

"Why did you set off that bomb at the Franklin Institute?" I asked, biting into a sandwich. Hamilton looks at me, his blue eyes sad.

"I…well, I didn't know you well then."

"Hamilton, we grew up shouting insults at each other at Cahill Reunions."

"I…when my Dad asked me for ideas to get ahead, the first thing that came to my mind was _how about we set off a bomb?_ I still curse whatever got that idea into my head," He reaches forward and traces the pale scars on my arms.

I shiver whenever his hands come into contact with my skin. They send tingles through me, like I've been electrocuted, but it doesn't necessarily feel bad. It feels…good, actually, the way he gently traces the scars on my arms. I didn't think a Tomas could be gentle.

Then, all of the sudden, Hamilton starts laughing.

"What?" I ask him.

"Remember when we were five? We yelled at each other endlessly from across the table, and we would start food fights at Cahill Reunions. I would use my brute force, and you would get Ted and Ned to build some sort of catapult out of knives and spoons and throw food at me using that…and when we were six, we would chase each other across the grounds and I'd try to tackle you to the ground, but you had everything down to a science and would always evade me…" Hamilton chuckled. I grinned.

"…and when we were seven," I continued, "We started trying to beat each other in _everything. _And eight was when we started the verbal insult wars."

We both start laughing, and Hamilton grins. "We hated each other back then, didn't we?"

"And yet look at us now," I flashed a smile. Then I looked down at the floor, "I guess that's what being a Cahill does to you. You become utterly unpredictable and just…"

"But it becomes something good, doesn't it?" Hamilton said, grinning at me and biting into a sandwich. "Eventually…"

"Eventually," I agreed, picking up another sandwich. I start throwing bits at Hamilton and he catches them and then pops them in his mouth.

_Ted_

Reagan and Madison are sitting in the living room of the boys' suite, and we're, by _we're _I mean Ned, me, Reagan and Madison, eating dinner together. If you can call four gigantic bags of chips and a bunch of soda _dinner, _then, yes, I suppose we were eating dinner.

Reagan snuggles into my arms and I put a chip in her mouth. For a long while, there were only crunching noises and slurping noises as we all ate chips and drank soda.

Madison was the one who finally broke the silence, "So…what do you think we should do?"

"What do you think Fiske will make us do tomorrow?" Reagan asks. She sounds drowsy, and I wrap my arms tighter around her.

"Ned knows…don't you, Ned?" Madison looked up at Ned.

"Sure, _Alana,_" Ned said, and Madison blushed. I raised an eyebrow at Ned and he grins at me. Ned thought for a moment, tapping his finger against a bag of chips, and then finally said, "Study of Fiske's character shows that he is indeed cheerful, but he is also a Cahill, which makes him rather unpredictable. But the theoretical probability is that Fiske has probably finished with making us bond individually, in small duos, and is about to make us bond as a whole. If you gauge by percentages, there is a good 70% Fiske will make us bond as a whole, because he has already made us bond individually for two days."

I nodded, agreeing with him. "And," I added, "Study of the methods he has used against us shows that he would most likely create a base or a mission for us to work on, or at least force us together, and make us do most of the bonding by ourselves. So, he would most likely give us something basic to force us together, and then make us do most of the bonding by ourselves."

Reagan and Madison both stare at us blankly. "Wha…"

Ned sighed and we started explaining.

"We mean," Ned began, "That Fiske's personality shows that he's most likely going to make us _all _work together…"

"…because he's already spent, like, two days on making us bond in twos…" I continued.

"Also, as Ted says…" Ned started again.

"…he only gives us a base, something to work on, and makes us do most of the actual bonding by ourselves." I finished. Reagan starts snoring softly in my arms. I raise an eyebrow, "Did I really bore her to sleep?"

Madison laughed and Ned put his arm around her. I picked Reagan up, princess-style, and walked out of the suite, grumbling "Never thought I'd see the day when an Ekaterina carried a Tomas."

_Ned_

Madison and I both laughed as Ted carried a sleeping Reagan out of the door.

"You guys probably did bore Reagan to sleep," Madison laughed.

"I am hurt. The breakdown of an Ekaterina's observations is not boring," I whined, and Madison yawned.

"Yeah, hate to break it to you, Ned, but they are," Madison said, "Well, at least to the Tomas."

I rolled my eyes, "The Tomas have no appreciation of the art of knowledge."

Madison yawned again, "Maybe because it's boring, maybe?"

"Do you know what's boring? The Tomas' obsession for sports."

"You're lucky that I care about you, or else you would have a black eye right about now," Madison snapped, holding up her fist.

I backed away, "All right…all right…"

Madison laughed, "I'm just kidding. You can stop looking so scared."

I quickly composed myself, "I did not look scared."

"Oh, yes you did."

"Oh, no I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No I didn't."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Must we engage in such amateur fighting behaviours?" I asked, my voice exasperated, causing Madison to shake her head.

"What did you just say?"

I leaned back on the pillows, "Nothing, Alana."

_Hamilton_

Sinead drank some juice and stared at me over the rim of her cup. "Have you ever wondered what our parents…like, all of our parents, _everyone's _parents, would say if they saw what we were up to in this mansion?"

I paused, then imagined the Kabra parents when they found out what Ian was doing with Amy. I shivered. It was horrible to imagine. Then I imagined my own Dad when he found out about Sinead… "I think we have to, like, stay here forever. I'll rather do that than face the wrath of my parents." I shuddered.

Sinead looked at me, an amused expression on her face. "A Tomas just shuddered," she laughed, "I didn't think it was possible."

"Well, anyone would shudder if they imagined my father's reaction to me being with an Ekaterina."

Sinead shuddered, and I grinned. "See? You're shuddering."

"…I think your Dad might actually go as far as torturing me and the entire Ekaterina branch." Sinead said softly, and I bolted upright.

"Okay, first of all, my Dad isn't that stupid and heartless, he knows better than to mess with Ekat technology, and second of all, I'll never let that happen," I snapped.

Sinead leaned back in her seat, "I wasn't implying that your Dad was stupid and heartless…I was just saying. The Ekaterina and Tomas branches have always hated each other, haven't they?"

"True, Sinead, true."

"But maybe we'll be able to change that."

"That would be dreams come true for Fiske."

"We could do it, you know."

"What?"

"Unite the Ekaterina and Tomas branches."

I looked over at Sinead, wondering if she was crazy. "You're starting to turn into a Madrigal."

Sinead laughed, "But you love me anyway."

"Yes, I love you anyway."

_Madison_

Ned laughed and hugged a pillow to his chest. I grabbed a pillow and hit his head with it, multiple times. Ned backed away, "Hey! What was that for?"

"For confusing me with your fancy words!" I laugh, hitting him again.

"You know, I never thought a _pillow _would hurt. IT DOES WHEN IT'S THROWN BY A TOMAS!" Ned said, starting to beat me with the pillow he was holding.

"Hey!" Soon, Ned and I were in a full on pillow fight. Eventually, he managed to hit me to the ground, and was now standing over me, hitting me with his pillow.

"I surrender," I called, standing up. Ned drops his pillow.

"A Tomas, surrendering? Never heard of it. Your branch would be ashamed," he teased.

I start hitting him with the pillow again and Ned shrieked, "I thought that you SURRENDERED! Do you know the meaning of the word _surrender?_"

I shook my head, "I'm a Tomas, remember, Mr. Ekaterina? Not _everyone _has memorized an entire dictionary!" I paused, "Plus, you scream like a girl," I grinned widely as Ned blushed.

He lunges for me and pins me to the ground. "You might be a Tomas, _Alana, _but I'm still…how much older than you? Oh, yes, five years."

I struggle to get out of his grasp, "Ned…let me go."

"I don't think so, Alana." He leaned forward and I could feel his breath, hot against my skin. Then he leaned forward and I stopped thinking anything at all.

_Reagan_

I could vaguely hear Ted's voice, talking to me. "Reagan…go to sleep now…"

"What's going on?" I mumble, looking up. Ted's face is hovering above mine, and that's all I can see. All my surroundings are a blur…I guess because I'm tired. I yawn. "Where am I?"

"Reagan, you're in your room. Apparently I bored you to sleep. Now, go to sleep." Ted said, brushing a lock of hair off my face.

"No…I'm not going to sleep," I remembered nightmares…of the Vespers kidnapping me again, of the Vespers shooting me and letting me bleed to death…they still haunt me today. "The Vespers will come."

"You mean in your dreams?" Ted asked, sitting down at the edge of my bed. "Reagan, you're safe here. They won't take you…I promise."

"What if they do?"

Ted pulls me up and wraps his arms around me. I hated for him to see me so vulnerable, to see me reveal my biggest fear. "Reagan," he whispered, "I'll protect you. I promise. I won't let them take you again."

"Really?"

"Really. Now go to sleep. The Vespers will not be bothering you tonight, because I'll be here."

I snuggle deep into his arms and fall asleep.

_Jonah_

Phoenix and I are walking around on the gardens of the island, outside. Phoenix glances back at the mansion, "I wonder what everyone's doing tonight. Everything seems so…deserted."

_They're probably all hooking up, _I think, and chuckle. Amy and Ian, Hamilton and Sinead…and I did sense something between Ted/Ned and Reagan, and Ted/Ned and Madison. I _still _can't tell which Starling boy is which.

Instead of saying that, though, I said, "Meh, who knows? They could be making plans to burn up the island, throwing around ninja stars, brewing up poisons…"

Phoenix's face was white now. "Why did you take me here, where there are people who can kill me with one blow, poison me with the most lethal poison known to mankind, and immediately see all my weaknesses and draw up plans to target them? It's scary…I preferred your touring life. Even the paparazzi and fan girls _combined _aren't as scary as this."

I laughed, "Phoenix, in terms of Cahill knowledge, you have one of a one year old kid. The people who are hanging out with you here aren't scary…they're not even showing you the full extent of what they can do. They've all been modified to be nicer and all that. But their _parents, _Phoenix…" I trailed off, not sure Phoenix would want to know about the Kabra parents, Eisenhower and Mary-Todd..."Well, Phoenix, let's just say…you'll learn by experience."

Phoenix glared at me, seemingly angry, but I detected a hint of fear in his eyes. "What do you mean, I have knowledge worthy of a _one year old?_"

"Phoenix, this is the most powerful family in the world. They're not to be taken lightly."

Phoenix turned and went back to the mansion.

_Phoenix_

Jonah was right when he said a Cahill would eventually betray me.

I just never thought that Cahill would be _him._

I guess he didn't really betray me, really, just made me angry and lose a lot of respect for him. He's never treated me like I was a five year old who didn't understand anything.

And what was all that about the Cahills' _parents?_ They had parents that were more dangerous than the kids themselves?

Well, that was just awesome! I didn't want to meet those parents…

But what right did Jonah have to treat me like a little kid? He had never done that before, he's always been the awesome older cousin who took me on tours all around the world.

And what was this thing called the clue hunt that everyone kept on talking about? Jonah explained it briefly, but I had no idea what had _happened _during the clue hunt.

Maybe Jonah was right. Maybe I did have the knowledge of a one year old in the area of Cahills.

But, then again, who can fully understand Cahills? Jonah had made it clear that a Cahill couldn't even understand themselves.

-End-

**A/N: And there you go. Despite everything, I still manage to update…and I'm sort of upset. Do you know why I'm upset? I barely have any reviews for the last chapter, and I personally LOVE that chapter! So, everyone, GO AND READ AND REVIEW MY CHAPTERS! Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? **

**Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter ;) **

**AND IF YOU DID ENJOY THIS CHAPTER, TELL ME IN YOUR REVIEWS! HAVE A GOOD DAY! AND CHEER UP THE REVIEW BUTTON'S DAY BY CLICKING ON IT AND KEEPING IT COMPANY!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm so sorry! I was planning on posting yesterday, but I was apparently spending too much time on the computer typing this stuff up for you guys, and my computer was going crazy, and I had writer's block for the last couple POVs and decided to write them again…so yeah. Anyway, enjoy Chapter Eleven ;)**

**Special thanks to Candyloversunite15 for giving me this idea…THANK YOU, CANDYLOVERSUNITE15! **

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: Well, everyone seems to have disappeared after hearing that I was making them do disclaimers…**

**Saladin: **_**Mrrp. **_**(Translation: I'm still here. I'm not in this story. Do I get my moment of fame?)**

**Me: Okay, Saladin…disclaimer?**

**Saladin: **_**Mrrp. **_**(Translation: Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or the awesome red snapper). **

**Me: Red snapper's not even in this story! You are obsessed, cat! **

**Saladin: *angry **_**mrrp.**_*****

**Me: Okay…read on. And now I'm going to hide before Saladin attacks me like he does Ian.**

_Amy_

The next morning, when Sinead and I went downstairs, everyone was already sitting around the coffee table. Everyone was silent, just eating fruit and bread and drinking milk, which was weird, because…well, we were Cahills. And quiet does not suit us.

Jonah picked up the notebook on the coffee table. He coughed. "Does anyone want to know what crazy thing Fiske has planned for us today?"

People nodded, but it seemed as if everyone was subdued. My eyes swept the room. Phoenix's eyes looked mad. Jonah looked normal. Madison and Reagan had faraway looks in their eyes. Natalie wasn't wearing makeup-WHAT? Ian looked deep in thought. Ted and Ned seemed to be communicating somehow. Dan was grinning like an idiot. Hamilton was looking up at the ceiling. Sinead was looking at Hamilton.

Jonah flipped the book open. He stared at the page for a long moment, and then said, "Wow, I'm scared."

"What are you scared about?" Sinead murmured, flicking a bread crumb off her shorts. Wow…everyone really _was _subdued today.

"It only says, under today's date," Jonah clears his throat and stares at the page, almost in disbelief, "It says, '_Go over to the painting of roses on the wall and press the blue rose._'"

Nobody responded to that. We all just continued chewing on bread, sipping milk, and eating fruit. I wonder what happened last night to make everyone like that…well, I know about Natalie and Dan, and Ian, but really nobody else.

"No reactions?" Jonah waved his arms in the air. "YO! NO REACTIONS?"

Nobody said anything.

"HEYYY! THIS SONG GOES OUT TO MY AWESOME GIRLFRIENDS, MADISON," Ned looked up and sent a murderous glare toward Jonah, "REAGAN," Ted glared at Jonah, his hands clenching into fists, "SINEAD," Hamilton looked at Jonah and raised an eyebrow, "NATALIE," the idiot grin drops off Dan's face, "and AMY! OKAY, SO THIS IS AN AWESOME SONG I MADE UP! _Ooh, ooh, ooh, oh, drop your boyfriends, drop your crushes, and drop all you need…all you need is MEEE!" _

Before Jonah could start the next verse, all the boys except for Phoenix lunged at him.

"OKAY!" Jonah was slowly backing away from the angry bunch of people. "OKAY! I didn't really mean all that! I just knew that it would get a reaction out of all of you!"

All the girls were watching the scene, looking incredibly amused. It was incredibly funny, though. All the boys, except Phoenix, were surrounding Jonah, with murderous glares on their faces. I saw Hamilton crack his knuckles, Ted and Ned scrutinize Jonah for weaknesses, Dan pull a bag of Skittles out-well, his sugar rushes _were _pretty creepy-and Ian pull a poisonous dart out of his pocket.

Jonah looked up and cast a desperate look at all of the girls. Sinead, Natalie, and I were giggling now, and Madison and Reagan looked on the verge of it. "GIRLS! HELP ME OUT HERE! OR ALL OF THESE GUYS WILL KILL ME!"

At that, even Madison and Reagan cracked, and broke down giggling.

"GUYS! HAVE MERCY! I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION!" Jonah yelled.

I saw all the guys eye each other, then they all turned to Ian. He pocketed the dart that he was currently holding into his pocket and pulled out another dart. Then he threw it at Jonah, and it sank into his arm.

"There," Ian said darkly, "Now we'll let you go."

"WHAT DID YOU POISON ME WITH? IAN!" Jonah screamed like a girl and looked down at his arm. He quickly pulled the dart out and threw it away.

All the boys returned to their seats and I walked over to Ian. "What were you planning to poison him with before he started begging for mercy?" I asked. Silence.

"The most lethal poison known to Lucian," I swore I heard him mutter under his breath, "No one claims you 'theirs,' without getting hurt."

I raised my eyebrows at him and went back to my seat.

Jonah opened his mouth to speak, but just then all of the eyes, in eerie synchronization, turned and gave Jonah death glares. He shut his mouth.

"Should we go over and press the blue rose?" Natalie nodded toward the painting on the wall.

Everyone agreed, and stood up. We all went toward the painting, and I reached out a hand and pressed the blue rose within the vase of roses in the painting.

A cloud of purple smoke engulfed us, and I felt a metal, mechanical hand grab me-and pull me through the painting.

_Dan_

When the purple smoke cleared-all the girls were gone. All of them. The painting still hung on the wall, innocent as ever, and everything looked normal-but all the girls were GONE! NATALIE was gone! I started looking around frantically. "Where are all the girls?"

"Where's Reagan?" Ted/Ned asked.

"Forget about Reagan, where's Madison?" The other Starling boy yelled.

"Where's Sinead?"

"What happened to Amy?" Ian looked around.

A note fluttered from the ceiling onto the floor. We all gather around in a circle around the note, but nobody touched it. Finally, Phoenix picked it up and read it out loud.

"'_Dear Phoenix, Jonah, Ian, Dan, Ted, Ned, and Hamilton-_

_I have sent the girls to somewhere on this island. Your objective for today is to find them. You also have to have all of the items listed below-_

_A purple leaf_

_A pair of purple ballet slippers_

_A gold charm bracelet_

_A large book of all scientific discoveries made by Cahills_

_A small white box, with original contents inside_

_If you don't have all these things, you will not be admitted to where the girls are! Now, get out there, get along, and find the girls! _

_If you don't…well, you won't see them for the rest of the summer._

_Fiske.'"_

"He annoys me," Hamilton grumbled.

"How he can be so cheerful is beyond me," Ian said, brushing himself off.

"I can't believe Fiske would do this!" I grumbled.

"What do you say…" Ned/Ted began.

"…we go out and find the girls?" The other Starling dude finished.

I pull my bag of Skittles out of my pocket and pop a Skittle into my mouth. "I can't believe he would do this," I repeated, walking out of the room.

I heard the sound of shredding paper, and then Ian followed me. We walk out of the mansion together.

"You're worried about Amy, aren't you?" I asked, as we walked down the hill.

"And you're worried about Natalie." He replied, without hesitation.

"Yeah," I replied, eating some more Skittles. "You want a Skittle?" I asked, holding out the bag.

"Uh…no, thank you," Ian replied, walking down the hill. "What do you say we work together?"

"Fine. But I'm only doing this for Natalie…and Amy, too, I guess."

"And I'm doing this for Amy." We reach the bottom of the hill and start walking through the gardens.

_Ian_

Daniel and I walk quietly through the gardens. "Daniel…"

"Ian, I made an agreement with your sister. I don't call her Cobra, she doesn't call me Daniel. How about I make the same agreement with you, _Cobra?_" Daniel smirked. Natalie would've been proud.

"Very well, Dan." I paused, remembering when Amy had told me Dan had a photographic memory. "Do you remember the list of things we had to find?"

Dan closed his eyes, and then opened them. "Yes. Um, a purple leaf, purple ballet slippers, gold charm bracelet, book with scientific discoveries/experiments in it, and a white box with the original contents still inside."

"Oh, well. I wonder where Fiske would've hid them," I stopped walking and looked around the garden we were in, searching for gaps, secret passageways, things that could possibly open a door. "A purple leaf…" I muttered, "That is the nuttiest thing I have ever heard."

Dan looked up. "He would hide it in a tree."

"No, that's too obvious, Dan. But a gold charm bracelet…" I looked up at the sun, "If Fiske really wanted to make this hard for us, it would be in a secret compartment of some sort. The sun is much too bright. Any gold, even fake gold, would shine and stand out."

"And if I was going to place a secret compartment, I would hide it in a hollow rock." Dan said, as we continued walking, both of us looking around for any of the things Fiske had mentioned.

Dan popped another one of those ridiculous American candies in his mouth. "How big is this island? Fiske said the girls were _within the island, _right?"

"Dan, this island is actually extremely large," I replied, "When the jet that took us here descended, I calculated the perimeter of the island. It would take you approximately twelve hours to walk around the perimeter of the island."

"Oh." Dan said. We walked through a grove of trees and emerged on the other end. I saw a lot of large rocks lining the path. Roses grew along this path, and there were many, many different colours. Purple, blue…genetic enhancements created by the Ekats, I suppose.

I couldn't believe Fiske would go as far as take Amy to who-knows-where for us to 'bond.' The thought of not seeing her all summer…the fact that she was going to be here at the island was what drove me to come in the first place.

Dan was staring at the rocks, "These rocks might be hollow!"

My eyes scan the long line of rocks, leading to a circle in the distance which had several roads branching off it. "That's an awful lot of possibilities."

"But they might be!"

"Fiske would be more specific," The sun shone down, and a flash of gold caught my eye. A cluster of gold roses-_gold roses-_were growing next to a square rock. There were gold roses scattered here or there, but there was only one area that had so many gold roses-beside the rock.

I walk over to the roses and tapped one of them. The rock slid aside, revealing a compartment dug into the dirt. In this compartment was a glittering gold charm bracelet. Dan runs over and scoops the charm bracelet up. He turns it over in his hands. The only thing attached to it is a small, folded note, attached to the charm bracelet as if it were a charm for the charm bracelet. Dan removes the note and reads it, and then he hands it to me.

_Dear (insert your name here)_

_You've found the charm bracelet! But to find the girls, you have to find ALL of the different items I had listed. And since the whole objective of this is to get you boys to work together, here is the way this is going to work: every time you find one of the objects, there is going to be a line, a part of a letter that will give you instructions/directions on where the gifts and how to find them. So you have to combine forces. Now, for the part of the letter:_

_Within a field of flowers that make you sleep, you will find two parts of the list_

_Have fun! _

_Fiske_

I folded the letter and pocketed it. "Now…I suppose we will go and find the other boys?"

"Yes," Dan sighed. "Fiske, you are going to pay for this when I get home."

_Natalie_

The metal claw that shot out of the painting grabbed me and dragged me through the painting. Then the painting swung shut. The other girls and I were currently sliding down a metal chute. "WHERE ARE WE GOING?" I screamed, and Sinead and Amy yelled, from somewhere beneath me-

"WHEREVER FISKE IS TAKING US!"

After what seemed like ages of sliding down the chute, we slid out of it and into a small kitchen. I was the last one to slide through, and I shot out of the chute at full speed, somersaulted mid-air, and thudded down on a table. "Ow…" I groaned.

I looked around the kitchen. Madison and Reagan were standing upright, and Sinead and Amy were lying down, groaning, on the floor. "That hurt." Sinead said, standing up and helping Amy up.

I looked around at my surroundings. We were in a kitchen, which had a doorway leading to a living room with comfortable couches and a TV. In the living room, there were doors leading to bedrooms. I slide off the table and walk into the living room, and straight to the coffee table. Fiske left notes on coffee tables-just something my Lucian observing had picked up on.

Sure enough, there was a note on the table. The other girls followed me into the living room and slumped down on the comfortable couches. I picked up the note and read it out loud, "'_Hello, Natalie, Amy, Sinead, Madison, and Reagan,_

_I have devised a little exercise to help the boys get along. Their objective is to find you. If they can't find you, you will stay in this little apartment for the whole summer. _

_I apologize for any inconvenience the ride down on the chute might have caused._

_Fiske.'"_

"Honestly?" Amy asked, sitting up. "We're just going to wait here for the boys to sweep in and rescue us."

"It seems like it," Sinead got up and paced around.

"And if they _can't _rescue us, we'll be staying in here for _the whole summer,_" Reagan grumbled.

Madison was looking around curiously. "Where do you think we are?"

I looked around the place. None of the rooms had windows, and by the look of how the ceilings and walls were designed, it looked like there was air ventilation systems built in. I thought for a moment, "Somewhere underground, I suppose. There are air ventilation systems built into the walls."

"And where in the island? Far from the main mansion?" Madison asked.

Sinead thought for a moment, calculating. "Calculating how long it took for us to slide down the chute, and the fact that it went mostly sideways with a slight decline, I would say…quite far from the main mansion, but within reasonable walking distance, and not very far beneath the ground."

We all sat down and looked around, not saying a word.

The crazy things Fiske can come up with, just to get us to 'bond.'

_Sinead_

Stuck underground, waiting for the boys to come and rescue us. With nothing to do. I turned on the TV and all it played was static. Annoyed, I turned it off again.

"This is the most boring thing Fiske has ever made us live through," I groaned. "The boys are probably having a lot of fun, but us? I FEEL BORED."

Reagan pounded a pillow. "I can't believe it…but Ted's smart enough to figure out where we are, right?"

"Who knows how many hints Fiske has given?" Amy asked, hugging her knees to her chest. "Ned and Ted are smart, but they can't work on nothing."

Madison and Reagan slump back on the couch.

"This sucks," Madison said.

"Officially the worst thing Fiske has ever made us do," Reagan agreed.

Amy coughed and sat upright, "I have a suggestion."

"Yes?" I asked. "Anything would be better than this…I suppose I could give you all a history lesson, but I don't think Reagan and Madison would like that."

"No!" Reagan and Madison yelled at the same time. "No history lessons! Never!"

"Fine…my suggestion was that, why don't we tell everyone what happened to us last night?"

"Where did you come up with _that _idea?" I asked.

"Everyone seemed so subdued today. I wondered what happened last night…"

"Fine," Reagan gave a small smile. "Let's do it."

Madison agreed, and we sat in a circle and started talking.

_Ted_

Ned and I walked out of the sitting room right after Ian and Dan. We randomly chose a path and started walking along it.

"So, what did you do with Madison after Reagan and I got out of there?" I asked Ned, an attempt to make conversation and to make this seem less boring.

"Well, she started hitting me with a pillow…" Ned began.

"Very out of character, a Tomas attacking with a pillow," I commented, and Ned nodded.

"…well, after she did that, we got into a pillow fight. And that's all."

"That doesn't explain the fact that, when I woke up, Madison's bed was empty."

"So you were sleeping in Reagan's room!"

"I didn't mean to fall asleep," I protested.

"Aw, you're totally in love with her," Ned flashed a grin.

"And you're totally in love with Madison, so we're even," I looked around at our surroundings. We were in this little garden, which looked like a scene out of _The Secret Garden _or something. There were willow trees all around, a small stream running nearby, and untamed ivy vines wrapping around tree trunks, and small roses growing everywhere.

Ned climbed up one of the willow trees and started looking around the garden. "I really don't see anything purple, gold, or white. Or a book."

I crouched down by the stream, "But we have to find them, or else we won't see Reagan all summer."

"Or Madison."

"Isn't Fiske going to give us something to work on? Like, honestly!" I threw up my hands and stood up straight.

"NED! TED! HAMILTON! JONAH! PHOENIX! NED! TED! JONAH! HAMILTON!" Dan's voice, along with a snapping of twigs, a flurry of birds flying away, and footsteps.

"DAN!" Ned yelled back, and there was a pause. Then Ian and Dan appeared in our little garden.

"Hi," I said, walking over to them.

"Dan, I told you yelling their names and running aimlessly wasn't going to work very well," Ian said, picking a leaf from his hair. Dan had leaves and berries and flower petals stuck in his hair.

"We found Ned and Ted, didn't we? That means IT WORKED." Dan grinned and walked over to us. He pulls a delicate gold charm bracelet out of his pocket and pulled out a note. "This is a note from Fiske."

I took it and quickly skimmed it, focusing on the hint that it contained. _Within a field of flowers that make you sleep…_

Ned took the note, read it, and said without hesitation, "Lavender. Within a field of lavender."

"Huh?" Dan looked confused, while Ian and I nodded.

"Dan, lavender has natural scents that make you sleep," Ian told him, "Lucians use it in their sleeping concoctions."

"And since lavender is purple, we'll must likely…" I started.

"…find the purple slippers/leaf in there," Ned finished.

Ian and Dan eyed each other. "While we were running around screaming your names, we passed a field of lavender." Dan said, his eyes wide.

"Come on," Ian was already running off. "We have to find them. We have to find the girls."

Dan, Ned, and I followed him.

_Ned_

Ian led us straight to the purple field of lavender. The lavender waved in the breeze. In the field, there were paths, and trees, but it was mostly just lavender, lavender, lavender. Once we started walking along the path, I start looking around frantically for a purple leaf or something.

Dan walked up to the tree in the middle of the field. "Don't you think this tree is a bit odd? It's just in the middle of nowhere. Useless."

"It's a tree, which has leaves, Dan. " Ian climbed up the tree, "And leaves. The leaves here are multi-coloured…well; maybe it has a purple leaf. Who knows?" He started poking through the leaves of the tree.

"Wait. I'll do it," I said, climbing up the tree to join Ian. We look through the leaves together, Ian mumbling something under his breath.

I sweep past a branch of red and orange leaves mixed with green ones and find an entire branch of purple leaves, nestled deep in the heart of the tree. There was a note attached to the branch, and I pluck off a couple purple leaves and pulled the note out. "I found a purple leaf. An entire branch, actually."

Ian and I jump down from the tree and land in the lavender.

"Ugh," Ian pulled lavender from his hair. "This is the most disgraceful thing Fiske has ever made us do."

I pocket the purple leaf and handed Dan the note. He read it, "It says the same thing as the other note, but the thing says-_to find a book of knowledge you seek, the garden of birds will hold the shelf." _

"Garden of _birds?_" Ted asked.

"Garden of birds," I confirmed, glancing at the note in Dan's hands.

Ian had disappeared somewhere in the field of lavender, grumbling about his hair. He came back holding a pair of purple satin ballet slippers. "Here are your ballet slippers," he tossed them to Ted.

"It has the same note in it," Ted said, pulling a piece of paper out of the ballet slippers and reading what was on it. "How did you find it?" Ted asked, pocketing the note.

"Ballet slippers. If you start from this tree and do three leaps right, which is the approximate amount of leaps in a simple dance routine, and because right is the first direction a ballet teacher teaches you to leap, you will find these slippers."

"How do you know so much about ballet?" Dan asked. He smirked, "Did you learn it when you were little? You're such a girl."

"No, Dan. As a matter of fact, _Natalie _learned ballet. She used to love it…and she still will poison anyone who insults it." Dan turned pale, and he turned away. "Let's go find Hamilton, Jonah, and Phoenix."

Ian smirked, and Dan took off, screaming, "JONAH! HAMILTON! PHOENIX!"

"Has he had sugar?" I asked Ian, and he shook his head, grinning.

Then all three of us took off, chasing Dan.

_Hamilton_

"JONAHHHH! HAMILLLLTTTOOOONNNN! PPPPPHOOOOEEENIXXX!" The scream came from somewhere far away, piercing through the air.

After Ned, Ted, Ian, and Dan had left, I had left by myself. I had just wandered around randomly until I had come to a bird garden, with birds perched on branches and everything, chirping and singing, cheerful. And now I was sitting on a rock, wondering where Sinead was. This _vacation _wasn't complete with Sinead. It was horrible.

I missed Sinead, and it hadn't even been an hour and a half yet.

The scream came again. "JONNNAHHHHH! HAMMMMILLLLTTTTOOONNNN! PPPHOOOENIXXXXX!"

All the birds chirped and either took off or hid in their nests. Four people crashed through the branches and I looked up. Ian, Dan, Ned, and Ted. "Oh…you. You scared off all the birds."

"BIRDS?" All of them screamed at the same time, and I nodded dully.

"Yes, birds," I said drearily.

"You've lost your life without Sinead, haven't you?" Dan asked, grinning.

I nodded toward Ian, who was already looking around for something. "No more than Ian without Amy."

Ian tensed at the mere mention of Amy. "It said a book of knowledge was hidden here," he said, sadness and anger buried in his voice. "So…why don't you get up and look, Hamilton?"

I got up, "Sinead would love that book," I said, looking around at the trees. "She would probably risk her life for it. Sinead…"

Ted and Ned were staring at me weird. "You are really obsessed with our sister," they said in unison.

I shrugged. My hand brushed against a tree trunk, and then it suddenly plunged into the tree. "WHAT?"

The tree was hollow. There was a hole leading into the inside…and on the inside was a large, heavy book. I pulled it out and stared at it dully. "Sinead really would love this."

"It has a clue to where…" Ted/Ned started.

"…the next thing is," the other one finished.

Ian took the book from me and cracked it open. Inside was a sticky note, saying, _the box of white is hidden in magnolia._

"What's magnolia?" Dan asked, staring at the note.

"Magnolia is a type…"

"…of plant with big white blossoms…"

"…with a very nice scent." Ted/Ned informed Dan.

"JONAHHH! PHOENIX!"

Dan was off and running again. Ian tossed the book back to me. "Here."

Then he rushed after Ian.

I look questioningly at Ted and Ned, and they shrugged. "It's Dan's way…"

"…of finding people…"

"…very aimless, but it's worked so far." Then they were gone.

I tucked the book underneath my arm and started running after them.

_Reagan_

Everyone turned to look at me, and I threw up my hands. "What?"

"You go first," Natalie smiled sweetly at me. She paused and stared up at the ceiling, thinking. "Should we inject each other with the truth serum?"

"NOOO!" Amy shouted, and everyone turned to look at her. She blushed red. "I mean, no…"

"Fine, then," Natalie had already pulled out a handful of darts-_how _many darts did Lucians keep in their pockets?-and she pocketed them, looking disappointed. "Any way, Reagan is going first."

"Why me?" I asked, not wanting to tell anyone what had happened.

"We said so, that's why," Sinead nodded.

"That's _so _smart, Ekaterina," Madison rolled her eyes at Sinead.

"Are you insulting Ekaterinas? I don't think Ned would be very happy…" Amy trailed off when she saw Madison's horrified face. "Never mind."

"Anyway, Reagan, talk," Natalie turned to me and smiled. "If you don't, I shall inject you with truth serum."

I gulped, "Um…okay, so Ned, Madison, and Ted and I had dinner together, which was really all chips and soda and all that…"

Madison nodded to confirm that.

"…and, um," I continued, "then Ned and Ted started going on about something totally _boring,_ and I guess I fell asleep…"

"She did," Madison injected, and Sinead looked insulted, and Amy and Natalie looked amused.

"…and I guess Ted carried me off to my room," Sinead raised her eyebrows, "Then I saw him over me, and, and…well, I guess we fell asleep," I said, leaving out the entire conversation about the Vespers.

"So you FELL ASLEEP in your room, together?" Natalie raised her eyebrows. "Wow…"

"Now, you, Natalie," Amy smirked at Natalie, and she rapidly paled. I wondered what Natalie had to hide.

"Well…Dan and I, um…"

"You called Dan DAN!" Sinead's eyes grew wide. She noticed everyone was staring at her, and coughed, "Uh…never mind."

"Dan and I were planning on, um, breaking up Amy and Ian, and, uh, well, we met at a room on the sixth floor, and then, um, Dan kissed me."

"WHAT?" I yelled.

"WHAT?" Madison shrieked.

"WHAT?" Sinead screamed.

"It's true," Amy smirked, "They were in a full make-out session when Ian and I ran into them."

"WHAT?"

"WHAT?"

"WHAT?"

Natalie was bright red by now. "I think you all know what I said…Amy, how about you go and tell me how your dinner with my brother was like."

"Weren't you spying on us?" Amy raised her eyebrows.

"…yes. But we weren't really paying attention," Natalie blushed even redder.

Amy laughed, "Of course you weren't…so, um, Ian and I had a dinner. End of story."

"He kissed you," Sinead said, inspecting Amy's face.

Amy blushed, "Uh…"

"Yeah, he kissed you," I agreed, laughing at Amy's red face.

Amy looked down, "Madison," she mumbled. "Tell us what happened between you and Ned after Ted and Reagan left."

"What makes you think Ned and I did anything?" Madison asked, and we all turned toward her and sent her, _really?_ looks.

"There's chemistry," Sinead grinned. "I can feel it."

"Fine…we had a pillow fight."

"And he kissed you," Amy and Natalie said in unison.

"NO!" Madison said, much too quickly.

We all laughed, and Madison blushed bright red. "Well…maybe."

_Madison_

"Sinead, you talk," I said, "I want to know what happened between you and my brother."

Reagan nodded.

Sinead opened her mouth and started talking. "Well, we were basically just talking and eating sandwiches and drinking juice…nothing much."

"You did something." Amy said, "I caught you looking at Hamilton this morning. You're obsessed with him…"

"I AM NOT OBSESSED!" Sinead yelled, and Natalie and Amy exchanged knowing looks. Reagan and I laughed.

Sinead pouted, and Amy took out her phone, snapped a picture, and then held up her phone to the ceiling. "We _must _be underground. I have zero bars," Amy sighed, looking at the screen of her phone.

There was a rapid stomping from above us, and everyone looked up, alarmed.

I heard muffled voices from above, and then Madison got up and started screaming. "HELLOOO? WE'RE DOWN HERE!"

_Jonah_

When Phoenix and I heard Dan's screaming, we both looked up. Then we both went back to arranging magnolia leaves on the ground. After everyone had left, Phoenix and I had just decided to go around and do some sightseeing of the garden, and we had ended up here-in a garden of magnolia trees. Phoenix had grabbed the falling petals, and now we were making a picture with them.

Dan, Ian, Ted, Ned, and Hamilton crashed into the garden. Ian looked around. "Magnolia!"

"…oh, hi," I grinned, looking up. "How's your hunt for all your girlfriends going?"

All the guys, except Phoenix, glared at me, and I shut my mouth. "Okay…"

Ian was frantically running around the place, grabbing falling magnolia petals. Then, he tripped and fell right into a pile of magnolia petals. We all laughed, and Ian groaned, pulling his head out of the pile. "Okay…" He tugged his hand out, and it was holding onto a white box with a sticky note on it.

Dan gasped, "Give me, give me!"

Ian looked at the sticky note. "'_Find a hollow magnolia tree, slide down, slide down.'" _He read.

He ripped it off, tossed it away, and everyone started looking around for a hollow magnolia tree. Phoenix got up and tapped the gigantic tree we had been getting all our petals from. "This one's hollow." He turned, "It has a gigantic hole in it."

Everyone stampeded for the tree.

_Phoenix_

I dropped down through the hole first. I landed in a living room, on a coffee table, with all the girls surrounding me and looking at me weirdly.

Finally, one of them said something. "PHOENIX! Where's Ian?" It was Amy, of course. That activated all of the other girls, and they started yelling at me.

"WHERE'S NED?"

"WHERE'S TED?"

"WHERE'S HAMILTON?"

"WHERE'S DAN?"

"PHOENIX! WHERE ARE THEY?"

"Whoa, girls, calm down," Dan said, sliding through the chute and saving me. His eyes lit up when he saw Natalie. "Nat!"

"For once, I don't object to you calling me Nat," Natalie ran up to him and kissed his cheek. We all stared. I thought Natalie and Dan hated each other…

Ian slid down the chute next, and Amy practically slammed into him. They were soon in a full make-out session, while the other girls watched the hole in the ceiling of the living room hopefully.

Ned and Ted, the Starling boys, came down, and the Holt twins immediately ran over and dragged them over to one of the couches. They start talking and grinning at each other, and then gave each other hugs, blah, blah, blah.

Sinead stared up at the hole, her eyes wide. Finally, Hamilton came sliding down and she threw her arms around him. "Hamilton!"

When Jonah came down, nobody was paying attention to him. He went over to me and started sulking. "Da Wiz never gets ignored."

"Well, you're getting ignored now," I grinned at him, "I guess you really aren't worth that much within all these Cahills."

He sent me a murderous glare.

-End-

**A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed that chapter! I worked the hardest on it…so, reviews? I'm so sorry I didn't update earlier, and THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ALL OF YOU THAT READ AND REVIEWED THIS! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! **

**Okay, now how about more reviews…? Review if you like this story, or else I shall naturally assume you don't. And be hurt. So…REVIEW!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: How many reviews do I have for this story? How many? *goes online and checks* *almost faints* SIXTY FOUR REVIEWS? 64? SIXTY FOUR? You guys are awesome! *hugs* *hugs* *hugs* And that is why I am updating now instead of making you wait a week. Yup…now you see the real power of reviews. Read on.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: Well, who should we get to do the disclaimer? Oh, yes…FISKE!**

**Fiske: Hello. What do you want?**

**Me: Could you please do the disclaimer for me? And tell me what you have planned for the Cahills?**

**Fiske: You'll find out what I have planned in this chapter. So read on?**

**Me: Do the disclaimer!**

**Fiske: Oh, yes…um, Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or Coke or any company she might have mentioned in here that she doesn't own.**

**Me: Oh, good job, Fiske. Now, who wants to know what Fiske has planned? Read on…I give you…CHAPTER TWELVE!**

_Amy_

A few minutes after Jonah came through the hole on the roof of the living room, it CLOSED UP. Yes, CLOSED UP. So now we have no EXIT out of this place. WHAT THE HECK, FISKE? Why?

I looked at Ian, my eyes wide, "What's going on?"

Ian shook his head. "I seriously don't know."

Around us, everyone was panicking. Well, Sinead and Natalie were panicking. Madison and Reagan looked confused. Ted and Ned looked like they were calculating escape routes. Dan was trying, (and failing), to comfort Natalie. Hamilton was trying, (and succeeding), to comfort Sinead. But everyone was horrified by the fact that _we were stuck in here. _

Then a small hole opened up on the ceiling, and a note fluttered down. Phoenix ran over and grabbed it. He read it out loud, "'_Dear Dan, Amy, Ian, Natalie, Hamilton, Sinead, Ted, Ned, Madison, Reagan, Jonah, and Phoenix-_

_According to my sensors, you have all slid down the chute and have found each other. I have decided it's about time you all bonded as a whole, so you'll all be locked in here for…say, twelve hours. Any way it is, the entire night. Have a good night, everyone!_

_Fiske.'"_

There was silence. And then chaos erupted as everyone started screaming.

"STUCK IN HERE FOR THE ENTIRE NIGHT?"

"WHAT?"

"IS FISKE CRAZY? DAN, IS FISKE CRAZY?"

"FISKE IS CRAZY!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"THIS IS CRAZY!"

"EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!" Jonah yelled, and we all turned to look at him. "Okay," Jonah said, "We're stuck in here. So…let's eat."

That unleashed another flurry of screaming from the girls.

"WHY IS IT THAT ALL YOU BOYS CARE ABOUT IS _EATING?_"

"DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND WE ARE _TRAPPED UNDERGROUND _HERE?"

"YOU GUYS ARE CRAZY!"

"HONESTLY?"

"I THOUGHT-."

Ian cut everyone off, holding his hands up and saying, loudly, "Everyone. Shut _up,_" His British accent could even make that sound dignified…

Everyone turned to look at Ian. Reagan put her hands on her hips, "Well, Mister I'm So Rich And Everyone Has To Bow Down To Me, what do _you _think we should do?"

Ian opened his mouth and then closed it. Then he said, "I think we should first calm down-and eat."

"IAN! I THOUGHT BETTER OF YOU! YOU'RE THINKING OF EATING, TOO?" Natalie yelled. "ANYONE WHO IS THINKING OF EATING IS IMMATURE AND STUPID!"

"HEY, I'M THINKING OF EATING!" Dan exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "I'm glad you think I'm immature and stupid," he said to Natalie, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No…wait…Dan…" Dan had gone into one of the rooms and slammed the door. Natalie bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

"Wow…sensitive, is he?" Hamilton commented, and Natalie turned, pulled her dart gun out, and pointed it at him, the signature Kabra glare on her face. Hamilton slowly backed away and hid behind the couch.

Natalie had put her dart gun away and was now pounding at the door Dan had closed, and, apparently, locked. "DAN! DAN! DAN!" She kept on screaming.

Ted reached into his pocket and pulled out a microchip that unfolded into an iPod, and a pair of earphones. He offered one earphone to Reagan and the iPod, too. Reagan plugged the earphones in and chose a song. They both flopped down on the couch, not saying anything.

Then Ned came over and demanded the iPod, and soon Ned and Ted were in a full on fight, using anything they could get their hands on and their fancy technology. Madison said something to Reagan, and Reagan got mad. Then Reagan and Madison were screaming at each other and hitting each other.

Jonah went over to Sinead and started singing something, and Hamilton growled at Jonah and then _they _were in a full-on fight, chasing each other around the living room. Sinead and Phoenix watched, and Phoenix whispered something to Sinead and Sinead sighed and nodded.

Great…we haven't even been locked in here for ten minutes yet, and everyone was already trying to kill each other.

How fun.

_Dan_

Natalie…how dare she call me immature and stupid! Yes, she's called me that before we went to the island, but it's different now…isn't it?

Or maybe it wasn't ever even real. Maybe Natalie was just playing with me. Cobras liked doing that, a lot.

Well, too bad, because this time, it was Natalie that had broken _my _heart, instead of Ian breaking Amy's heart.

Maybe I was overreacting. I mean, it was just another insult. Any other couple would kiss and make up within the time frame of two seconds.

But, come on, Natalie and I weren't _just _another couple. We were Cahills. A Lucian and a Madrigal, to be exact. Trust was really fragile between all the Cahills-and once something as little as Natalie insulting me happens, it's broken.

It's so annoying being a Cahill. You can't ever be normal or anything. You can't even date someone that isn't a Cahill without them getting freaked out, and if you date someone who is a Cahill, it never works out.

So I guess _most _Cahills just have arranged marriages, or marry someone else…or die old and lonely, searching their whole lifetime for the 39 Clues.

Well, if you ask me, that sucks.

_Ian_

Amy looked around at the mess that was the living room. Ted and Ned were holding lamps, hitting each other with them. Hamilton and Jonah were still chasing each other around the room, knocking down everything in sight, Jonah yelling, "HEY! THAT WAS THE FIRST SONG THAT CAME INTO MY MIND! I NEVER MEANT FOR IT TO MEAN ANYTHING! THIS IS REALLY GETTING OLD! I SING SONGS ABOUT ROMANCE IN FRONT OF ONE OF YOUR GIRLFRIENDS, AND YOU ALL TRY TO KILL ME! HOW MANY TIMES HAS THAT HAPPENED?"

Madison and Reagan are yelling at each other. I think it was about which Starling boy was the best, and Sinead had taken Phoenix into a bedroom and had told him to lock the door, plug earphones in his ears, and turn them on full volume.

Natalie was still banging on the door, screaming Dan's name. She was crying. And she says the Lucians would be ashamed of _me._

And then…there was a sharp whirring sound that nobody but me noticed. Suddenly, the temperature dropped thirty degrees and it was freezing cold in the living room. Everyone stopped fighting and started shivering.

Amy dropped to the ground and curled up, hugging her knees to her chest. I kneeled down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. "It's fine. It's not that cold," I was trying to keep my teeth from chattering, though.

Amy shivered, "Y-yes i-it i-is, I-Ian." She shuddered violently and leaned against me.

I pulled back a little. "I'll go find a blanket in one of the bedrooms."

Just then, Phoenix came out of one of the rooms, holding a bottle of Coke. "W-why i-is it s-suddenly s-so c-c-cold?" He asked, his teeth chattering.

He through the living room…and then tripped over one of the lamps Ted/Ned had dropped when the temperature had suddenly dropped. The two Starling boys were now pulling the Holt twins into a bedroom. The bottle of Coke flew out of Phoenix's hands and sprayed all over Amy shirt. She screamed, "T-this i-is i-i-i-ice cold!"

Her shirt was now sticking limply to her skin, drenched with ice-cold Coke. I sent the Kabra glare at Phoenix and he shrank back. After some consideration, I sighed and pulled my white button-down off. "Here. Change into this in the kitchen." The cold air bit at my bare skin, but I tried to not let it bother me. It was for Amy, after all…all for Amy.

Amy looked at the shirt in my hands. "B-b-but won't y-you be c-cold?"

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. Change."

Amy disappeared into the kitchen and came back a few minutes later wearing my shirt, the t-shirt she was wearing before in her hands, limp and wet. The button-down was at least two sizes too big for her, and it hung over her shorts, so it looked like she was wearing a dress. A very short dress. The sleeves of the button-down were too long for her, and it went down to her elbows. She smiled at me, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Y-you m-must b-be c-c-cold," she said, looking at me. Her voice was worried.

"Don't worry about it, love."

"Don't call me love."

"Are we really having this conversation again?"

"Yes, love."

"Don't call me love."

"Of course, love."

"Grrr."

My eyes look at the shirt she was wearing. My shirt. She looked so _lovely _in it…so natural. It was nice to see her wearing my clothing. It's almost like claiming her as mine. If my Mom knew I was having these thoughts, I would probably be lying on the floor with a bullet through my heart right about now.

I smiled at Amy and she grinned back, walking over to me and wrapping her arms around me. Her hands were warm against my icy skin. "You are cold," she grinned.

"No, I'm not."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes."

She leaned her head against my shoulder. "Yes, you are."

I sighed, "This is very bold for you, love. It's very out of character. What are you planning?"

"Maybe some of your overconfidence has rubbed off on me."

"I am not overconfident!" I protested, running my hands through her hair.

Amy grinned, "If you say so."

"Good."

"But I still think you are."

I groaned, but she shut me up by kissing me.

_Natalie_

"DAN! OPEN THE DOOR!" It was freezing cold but I didn't care. Tears ran down my cheeks for no particular reason, warm and salty.

The Lucians are right. Love does make you weak. But the rush you get from it is enough to make up for it.

"DAN!" I wailed again. "OPEN THE DOOR! PLEASE!"

Nothing.

"DAN! DAN!" I yelled. Then I paused and thought of something that would most definitely get a reaction out of him. "DANIEL!"

Like I expected, the door banged open. Dan's jade green eyes greeted me, brewing over with anger. "And…you break our agreement, Natalie Kabra."

I should be happy he used my full name, but the way he said it…it hurt. I suppose nicknames were a way to show affection in his world, and the way he said my name, like he was disgusted with it, made me want to burst into tears again.

I slip into the room and drag Dan back in there. Then I slam the door shut and locked it. "I didn't mean any of that! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were thinking about food!"

Dan laughed, harsh and cold, nothing like I've ever heard from him before. "I expected a Lucian to come up with something better than that," it was so cold his breath could be seen in the air. "You obviously know I was thinking about food. I'm _Dan._" He paused, "Now, I would appreciate it if you got out of my sanctuary."

"No! Dan…" my voice trailed off as he grabbed me by the shoulders and shoved me harshly towards the door.

"I think you know how to walk, Natalie Kabra." Dan said, his voice cold.

I reach into my pocket and pull out a vial of poison. Poison number ten hundred fifty two. The poison that had brought Amy and Ian together. I poured some of the vial down my throat, and words came gushing out of my mouth of their own accord.

"Dan, I really didn't mean to say that. I wasn't thinking. You know I really wouldn't say that. I won't say you're overreacting, because, in the Cahill world, you're really not. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Just…forgive me."

Dan pulled something out of his pocket, his breath making clouds in the air. He took in a sharp breath, "I…okay. I suppose…you were just…frustrated. I mean, I think that Fiske left you in here with nothing to do while we were looking for you. You're probably stir-crazy, and you're still locked in here," he grinned, and I saw the old Dan again. "And…you were actually screaming outside my door. The Ninja Master has power over you."

I rolled my eyes. "Please. Ninja Master? The title does not suit you. And nobody has any power over Natalie Kabra…except maybe Ian."

Dan waved the thing that was in his hand, and it flashed underneath the light. "This was one of the things we could find before we could find you. The first thing we found, really," he grabs my hand and lifts it up, and clasps the thing around my wrist.

I saw that it was a gold charm bracelet, gold and beautiful. "Oh my god…"

Dan grinned and pulled me in for a kiss, warming me up instantly.

_Sinead_

Hamilton's arms were around me. My hands go up to his hair and I run my hands through it. "It's so cold," I mumble.

"Sort of," Hamilton replied, and I look up at his blue eyes.

"_Sort of?_ What, are you crazy? It's _freezing._"

"Meh. Not really." He tightens his hold around me, and his lips curve into a smile. "What, are _you _cold?"

"How can you not be cold? Madison and Reagan were cold!"

"Yes…well…I'm not cold."

I rolled my eyes at him, "It can get annoying how incredibly _immune _to everything you are."

"And it can get annoying how incredibly _knowledgeable _you are about every single thing. And you're pretty, too. We're lucky we're on this island, or else I'll probably have to send for a bunch of Tomas bodyguards to make sure guys don't hit on you." Hamilton flashed a grin at me and I laughed.

"You're kidding."

"I'm totally not."

"Yes, you are." My breath made little clouds in the air. It's interesting how that works, really, you see…

Hamilton's voice interrupted my thoughts. "…maybe it's not true, to you, but I'll probably send for bodyguards anyway." He laughed, "I'm a little too obsessed." He cut off when he saw my amused expression. "Uh…did I just say that out loud?"

I burst out laughing, but the cold air soon made me stop, "Yes…" I said, breathing heavily. "How cold is it in here?" I take out my phone and click on the thermometer app Ted and Ned had installed in there. "_Minus fifteen degrees?_ Is Fiske crazy? He's obviously the genius behind this…oh, wait, minus fifteen degrees can't really freeze you or kill you, but _really? _It's summer and we're in summer clothes!" I exclaimed, as Hamilton's arms tightened around me.

"Come on, Sinead, it's not that cold," he said, as I curled up next to him.

I rolled my eyes. "That's what you think. Minus fifteen degrees when you're dressed in summer clothes isn't cold. Right."

Hamilton nodded toward Amy and Ian. Amy was holding her shirt, which was soaked with the bottle of Coke Phoenix had spilled over it. After Ian had sent a death glare at Phoenix, the Kabra glare, Phoenix had rushed back into his room and closed the door. I felt sorry for him-he really didn't deserve to be plunged into all this Cahill business. And he also didn't deserve immature, irresponsible _Jonah _as a guardian…speaking of Jonah, where was Jonah? Oh, yeah, he had retreated into one of the bedrooms after Hamilton had stopped chasing him…

Hamilton grinned up at me, his arms keeping me warm. "Check out Amy and Ian."

Only now did I realize Amy was really wearing _Ian's _shirt, and Ian was shirtless. He must be freezing…I grinned. "Ian has changed a lot, hasn't he? He wouldn't have done that in a million years during the clue hunt."

"Yeah, but the Clue Hunt has changed all of us-for the worse or for the better, I can't really tell."

I look up at Hamilton and give a small smile, "Both, I guess. Both."

_Ted_

It was freezing. Reagan and Madison were visibly shaking, no matter how hard they tried to suppress it, and Ned and I are grabbing the blankets and covering Madison and Reagan with them. We were in one of the six bedrooms-Ned had thought, because there were blankets in there, it was a good place to keep warm.

Right now, Ned and I were sitting on armchairs, and Madison and Reagan were covered with blankets, sitting on the bed. Reagan was still shivering, though.

"This was planned. This had to be planned…it's impossible for underground temperature to drop this low that fast," Ned sighed, shaking his head. "Probably another one of Fiske's ridiculous ideas for getting us to _bond._" He paused, "You know, I'm really starting to hate the world _bond._"

I walked over to Reagan and wrapped my arms around her. "Are you still cold?"

"Sort of…" she mumbled back.

I smile slightly, "I don't have anything that will help. I should…" I started fumbling around in my pocket for anything that would warm someone up. _Nothing._ "Ugh, I don't."

Reagan smiled up at me. "It's fine. I am a Holt. We can stand this…we actually climbed up Mount Everest."

"Yes…I know. But still," I lean down so that my eyes are meeting hers, "I still think you're a little cold."

"How are _you _not cold? You're a Starling…no offense," Reagan said hurriedly, after she saw my expression after she said _You're a Starling._

"Me? Not cold? I am cold. Just not as much as you. Remember, I'm one of the oldest on this island," I flashed a smile at her.

Reagan rolled her eyes, "How can I forget?"

I grinned. "You could," In truth, I was actually freezing. I just did I good job of suppressing it because I knew all the properties of the human body and how to dull the nerves to keep yourself from feeling extreme pain/cold/heat/anything.

Reagan was still shivering. I could feel it. I didn't really blame her-I mean, I think the temperature has been continuously, slowly, but surely, dropping. There must be a machine somewhere…this couldn't be natural.

"Okay, you know what? I know you're freezing. And I'm going to warm you up," I lean forward and kiss her on the lips.

_Ned_

Ted started kissing Reagan, and Madison jumped off the bed and sank into the armchair Ted was previously occupying. "It's really awkward being that near people making out," Madison shuddered, "It's so weird. It's like some sort of invasion of their privacy, even though they're not even noticing you."

I laughed. "Well, you could've just kept on sitting there. I don't think they even know we're in the room." Ted and Reagan looked like they were in their own world…and I bet Reagan wasn't cold in the least bit now.

Madison wrinkled her nose. "It's still weird watching them."

"Of course you would think so, Alana," I flash a grin at her, and Madison smiled.

"And you're still calling me Alana."

"Hey, I like calling you Alana." I was just talking to her like this because it helped distract her from the rapidly decreasing temperature. And…I might as well admit I like it, too.

"Of course you do," Madison rolled her eyes. "Only an Ekaterina would come up with a nickname like that."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, other people, _normal _people, call nicknames actually _based _on the name. Like Maddy or something. Ekaterinas…they come up with something so incredibly far-fetched that it makes no sense until they explain it."

"It makes perfect sense! Alana…Alana sounds like Madison, if you say it really fast," I come up with a totally non-logical answer.

Madison raised her eyebrows. "Really, Ned?"

"Well, you already know what Alana means."

"Do you know what's weird?"

"What, Madison?" I smile at her, and she brushes a lock of blond hair out of her face.

"I'm not cold anymore."

"My mission is complete!" I pumped my fist in the air and Madison stared at me weirdly.

"Ekats…" She mumbled under her breath.

_Hamilton_

Sinead looked over at Ian and Amy and grinned. "Well…aren't those two a sight?"

I laughed, "Yeah, they've practically been glued to each other since Ian showed up here."

Sinead looked up at the ceiling and thought for a moment. "I do wonder how…well, how those two got like that, really. Amy told me it was something about caves and betraying and Korea…and alliances. I don't really remember."

"The relationship between the Kabras and Cahills is weird," I replied. "Only they know what went on during the Clue Hunt that led to this. I mean, Ian and Amy…it's _so _obvious they like each other, but that was only apparent _after _the clue hunt. And Dan and Natalie…one day they're harsh and crazy and insulting toward each other, the next they're making out in a room."

Sinead laughed, "Well…yeah. Dan and Natalie and Amy and Ian are weird couples. People expect them to end up together…but we don't know why we expect that."

I kiss Sinead's forehead. "Well…who knows? How did we get here, anyway?"

"Do you know what's weird?" Sinead asked, looking up at me.

"What?"

Sinead eyed Amy and Ian uncomfortably. "Uh…let's leave the lovebirds to make out in peace. Come on," she stood up, shivered at the cold, and pulled me into one of the six bedrooms. She closed the door and flopped down on the bed. I sit down next to her and wrap my arms around her again.

"This is what's weird," Sinead started again, leaning her head against my shoulder. "It's, like, all the relationships going on right now…the people getting together, I'll bet, have betrayed each other once or twice. They don't trust each other and they hate each other. And now they're…well, you know."

I grin, "Betrayals lead to love. How very weird of us Cahills."

"It's not weird, if you think about all the other stuff Cahills have done. Steal world-famous paintings and hide them in pizza boxes. Make up a serum that will make you all powerful. Make poisons that will make people fall in love. Make bombs that can blow up toilets."

"Cahills have made bombs that can blow up toilets?" My eyes lit up. "Awesome!"

Sinead rolled her eyes, "No, I don't know if they have. But they can."

"Oh, we can check," I walked out of the room and into the living room, where Amy and Ian were _still _making out. Honestly, how long can they go for? I shuffle around and look for the gigantic book of knowledge. When I found it, buried underneath a pillow, I picked it up and went back to Sinead. The whole small apartment was freezing now, the air crisp and cold. Sinead was shivering on the bed.

I hand her the book, "For you."

"Wow," Sinead grabbed the book and opened it. "Thank you so much! This is amazing…everything ever discovered by Cahills? Awesome…ew."

"Ew?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

"They do have a bomb that blows up toilets."

I laughed, and Sinead glared at me. "Stop glaring," I grin at her.

She kept on glaring.

I leaned forward and kissed her. When I pulled back, I grinned again. "You have to admit it's a _little _funny. Come on!"

Sinead buried her face in her hands. "I should really start practicing how to say no to you. Yes, it's a little funny…"

I pumped my fist in the air. "Yeah! Hamilton wins! Go bombs that blow up toilets!"

Sinead rolled her eyes and kept on flipping through the book.

_Madison_

Ned fumbled around in his pocket for something, and I stare at him. Finally, he pulls out a handful of purple leaves. "Check these out. Genetically engineered leaves."

"How interesting. But they are purple," I hold out my hand. "Can I see?"

Ned handed me a leaf and I looked at it. "It's pretty."

"I thought girls liked _flowers, _not leaves," Ned grinned, waving his handful of leaves in the air.

"Well, I'm no regular girl," I grinned, smiling at the leaf. "I hate flowers. Leaves are much more interesting."

"Do you know how weird you sound right now? You're basically, like, telling me you want leaves instead of flowers." Ned shook his head, "That is not typical of any member of the female gender."

"I'm a CAHILL! I'm a HOLT! I'm a TOMAS!" I grinned at Ned, "We are not typical members of the female gender. And this leaf _is _pretty." Suddenly, I sneezed. It was getting _really _cold in here. My words were making frosty puffs of breath appear in the air.

Ned stood up and walked over to me. He handed the leaves to me, "Here. I found them in a tree in the middle of a lavender field. They should still have some lavender essence." He smiles, "They'll help you sleep at night."

I pocket the leaves, "Thanks. Um…why were you in the middle of a lavender field?"

"Fiske sent us on a scavenger hunt thingy to find you guys." Ned said, as if that explained everything. I nodded slowly.

He flopped down in the armchair. "You should go to sleep, Madison. The cold won't bite as much."

And then he sighed, and I knew I would spend hours trying to figure out why.

_Reagan_

Ted finally pulled away, and I gasped for breath. I looked around the bedroom. It was freezing cold again, like someone had turned on air conditioning full blast. On the armchairs in the room, Ned was sitting in one, playing with his phone, and Madison was asleep in one. There was a blanket thrown over her.

"How long…" Ted's voice trailed off, and Ned looked up from his phone.

"Oh, you were making out for about an hour. It's, like, six o'clock p.m. right about now, and still freezing. Though I bet you two weren't cold at _all,_" Ned said, and then went back to his phone.

I felt my cheeks flaming red. I had been making out with Ted for an hour? _An hour?_ Wow…and Madison had even fallen asleep…

I blush again and turn away from Ted. "Maybe we should, you know, go…out…into the living room…maybe…uh…"

"Reagan, you like ballet, right?" Ted said suddenly.

"Uh, yeah," I replied, standing up and stretching.

Ted reached into his jacket and pulled out a pair of purple ballet slippers. He holds them out to me, "This is for you. We found them when we were looking for you."

I take them from him, slowly. They were beautiful. And they smelled sweet and soothing…one ballet slipper had a spring of lavender in it. I take it out and sniff it uncertainly. "Lavender?"

"We found it in a lavender field. Lavender is very soothing," Ted's hand grazed my forehead, and he smiled at me. "It'll help you sleep without any nightmares at all."

I grinned. Ted always knew what I was thinking. I take off my flip-flops and slip the slippers on, and Ted took the lavender spring from me and tucked it in my hair. "There. You look charming, Reagan."

"Charming isn't the first word someone would use to describe me," I smile. The cold bites at me, but I barely feel it.

"Well, it's the first word _I _use to describe you. Now…how about we go get something to eat?" Ted suggested, opening the door of the room.

Ned shook his head and just before I went out of the room behind Ted, I swear I heard him mumble under his breath, "Wow…Ted, you are heads over heels."

_Jonah_

I have to really stop singing love songs when I'm near the girls of this family. And stop dedicating love songs to the girls. If I keep on doing that, the guys would honestly and totally kill me. Ian would poison me-speaking of which, I have _no _idea what was in that dart he injected in me this morning-Hamilton would try to kill me-which he just finished doing-Dan would try to get on a sugar rush, and when he does, it's not pretty, trust me, and Ted and Ned would, well, draw up some blueprints to completely kill me.

Phoenix and I are sitting in a bedroom. When Phoenix had spilled the Coke all over Amy, Ian had scared him into coming in here. And I had run into this room after Hamilton had finished trying to kill me.

It was freezing. I wondered what everyone else was doing. Probably…warming up. Different ways of warming up.

I drape another blanket around my shoulders. "Fiske wants to freeze my hair into icicles," I said, running my hands through my ice-cold hair. "I wonder what he hopes to accomplish by bringing the temperature down this low."

"He probably decided to do it for fun," Phoenix shrugged.

"Fun?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Why would he do it _for fun?_"

Phoenix shook his head. "Jonah, have you not notice what people in your family do for _fun?_ Some of them memorize books that are ten thousand pages long! Some of them brew poisons, go shopping, and look in mirrors. They brew lethal poisons with no known antidote _for fun._ Some of your relatives beat up dummies and train in a training room and throw knives and smash _bricks _for _fun._ Really, the definition of _fun _in your family is really scary."

"Phoenix, don't forget it's your family, too." I said, "And…no, it's not scary at all. It's…instinct, okay? You weren't brought up on the 39 Clues. You wouldn't understand."

"…yes, I won't. I won't ever. They should write an entire handbook on how to figure out Cahills. And it would have to be about…a billion pages long."

I laughed, "You could get one of the Janus to do that, if they can find the information."

_Phoenix_

I will stop going on and on about how hard Cahills are to understand. Nobody is going to offer me any information, anyway. Jonah's fun to tag along with, and Sinead's awesome, and Hamilton, Reagan, and Madison are interesting, and Ned and Ted are amazing, and Ian and Natalie are cool, and Amy and Dan are incredibly awesome-but once you ask about the 39 Clues, they close up.

Nobody will ever tell me anything.

So I don't know anything about _why I am locked in an apartment underground,_ with the temperature well under zero degrees Celsius, freezing. Cahills are a weird family.

Very weird.

And do you know what the worse part about this very weird family is?

That I belong to this very weird family.

-End-

**A/N: Another chapter done. How many chapters have I dished out for this story already? A lot. And how many reviews have I gotten? A lot. SIXTY FOUR! I'M AT SIXTY SOMETHING REVIEWS! I NEVER THOUGHT THIS WOULD HAPPEN! YOU'RE ALL VERY AMAZING PEOPLE! **

**Ahem…thank you for reading this. And please, please, review more? It'll make me so happy. No, really, every review, no matter how short, makes me want to squeal. Longer reviews make me run around the house dancing…yeah…so REVIEW? Please?**

**Oh, and the freezing idea? Candyloversunite15. Genius, candyloversunite15. Genius. **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: And here's another chapter! I'm updating…I can't believe it. Why am I updating? Oh, yes…I'll tell you why I'm updating. I have SEVENTY NINE reviews for this story! *gets up and does a random dance* **

**Ahem…yes, so THANK YOU, ANYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED/FAVOURITED/ALERTED this story! It means so much to me! And your gift for doing that is…another chapter! So without further ado, Chapter Thirteen, everyone!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: I don't have anyone to do the disclaimer. *walks up to a vase of flowers.* Hello, flowers! Can you do the disclaimer?**

**Flowers: *silence***

**Me: Fine, be that way! *goes and turns on computer* **

**Computer: *whirrrrr***

**Me: Computer, can you do the disclaimer?**

**Computer: *random words appear on black screen* Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or anything she may have mentioned in this story that doesn't belong to her.**

**Me: Well…that was creepy…*runs away from computer***

**Hehe…sorry if I wasted your time with that totally pointless disclaimer…**

_Amy_

I sniffed the sleeve of Ian's shirt. It smelled good, like clove. Like Ian.

Right now, it was around seven o'clock, and it was still freezing. Everyone had come out of the bedrooms, wrapped in blankets, and now everyone was sitting in the half-destroyed living room, waiting for Jonah, Ian, and Hamilton to come back from the kitchen with something to eat.

Honestly, I didn't think sending Jonah, Ian, and Hamilton to the kitchen to cook/find something to eat was a good idea. Who knew what those three would come up with?

Just then, the three boys came walking out of the kitchen. Hamilton was holding around ten gigantic bags of chips, Jonah was holding cups of coffee/hot chocolate, and Ian was holding a tray of something.

Ian came to sit next to me, "Lasagna. It's piping hot. Would you like some?" He offered me the tray and a fork.

"Aren't you going to share?" I raised my eyebrows, my voice teasing. I take the fork and peel back the foil wrapper.

"Kabras never share, love," Ian replied, setting the tray down on a pillow on the couch I was sitting on.

"Yes they do," I countered, nodding at the shirt I was wearing.

"Fine, Kabras never share unless they _want _to, love," Ian corrected, and I laughed. Jonah came over and held out two cups to me. He opened his mouth to say something, but no sound came out. The shocked expression he got when he found out he couldn't say anything was hilarious.

"Uh…Jonah?" I asked, as Jonah started talking without any sound, as in moving his lips. I tried really hard to lip-read, but I couldn't. "JONAH! What's the matter?"

Ian was laughing beside me, and so were all the boys except Phoenix. The girls just looked really, really, puzzled. I turned and sent a questioningly look at Ian. "Do you know anything about Jonah COMPLETELY LOSING HIS VOICE?"

"Effects of the poison I injected in him this morning," Ian was laughing. "It takes effect once the person forgets about it. This poison…it disables his vocal chords."

I burst out laughing, "Jonah's a Janus. A _singer._ It's, like, the worst punishment ever."

"_Singer? _You call those songs that sound like screeching cats banging on garbage cans _singing?_" Ian shook his head.

Jonah opened his mouth and started yelling soundlessly at Ian. Everyone burst out laughing, even Phoenix.

I take the two cups from Jonah, said, "Thank you, Jonah," and handed a cup to Ian. We start eating lasagna and drinking hot coffee, not paying any attention to Jonah.

Jonah starts running around the room, screaming soundlessly at everyone. We just kept on eating chips and drinking coffee/hot chocolate. Finally, Jonah slumped onto a chair and gave up.

The coffee was warm, and it warmed me up, but not as much as Ian's kisses. I let my mind wander off and think of Ian, and his kisses, and…STOP IT, AMY, YOU SOUND LIKE ONE OF THOSE GIRLS IN CHEESY ROMANCE NOVELS! Not that there was anything wrong with cheesy romance novels…

My thoughts were interrupted by a shout, coming from Phoenix. "OKAY! I HAVE MADE A DECISION! YOU GUYS ARE GOING TO TELL ME EVERYTHING!"

"Everything?" Sinead looked at Phoenix questioningly. "What do you mean, Phoenix?"

"You are going to tell me _everything _about the Clue Hunt and what happened during it. I'm sick of being in the dark. And you are all having a dose of whatever truth serum thingy that Ian and Natalie always have with them. EVERYTHING! You are going to tell me every single detail of everything that happened between all of you during this Clue Hunt thing, and you're going to tell the truth. Now, let's start." He walks over to Dan and holds out his hand, and Dan drops a vial into it.

Oh, no. This is not going to be fun. Or pretty. Or anything good.

_Dan_

Phoenix was bent on knowing about the clue hunt. I guess it really _could _get frustrating being in the dark, but doesn't he understand that we're _all _in the dark? I mean, nobody in here knows about what happened on Mount Everest except Natalie, Amy, and Ian. And I'm pretty sure Amy and Ian don't want anyone knowing about South Korea.

My eyes scan the room. Everyone was sitting on half-wrecked furniture, horrified looks on their faces as Phoenix runs over and pours some of the truth serum in everyone's mouths, including mine and Natalie's. When he was done, he tossed an almost-empty vial toward me and I pocketed it.

"Okay…start at the beginning," Phoenix ordered, sitting crossed-legged on the coffee table. "Ian, you first."

Ian cleared his throat, "Well, technically, everything started at the beginning…well, that was when Natalie and I were born and we started Lucian-."

Phoenix cut him off, "Okay…Amy, when did this start for you?"

"G-G-Grace's f-funeral," Amy was stuttering again. She sniffed, "I-I…" She took a deep breath, "W-well, in G-G-Grace's w-w-will, she g-gave us t-two choices. O-one was to g-g-go on a h-hunt for 39 Clues a-around the g-globe, and the o-other was a m-million d-dollars."

I cut in, since I saw that everyone was confused by Amy's stutter and working hard to decipher it. "Grace offered us a deal-a race for the 39 Clues, which, if you won, you became all-powerful, or a million dollars. Amy and I took the race, as did the Starlings, Holts, Irina, Kabras, Alistair, and the Wizards."

"Tell me about this hunt thing," Phoenix said. "What are the 39 Clues?"

Natalie cut in, "Well…a long time ago, Gideon Cahill, the original Cahill, made up a master serum that would make you good in every aspect. When the Vespers came and burned down their mansion because Gideon refused to let them have the master serum, Gideon separated the serum into four parts and gave all his children a part of the serum. Luke-Ian's and my descendant-got the part of the serum that made him sneaky, stealthy, and all that. Katherine-the Starlings' descendant-got the part of the serum that made them very, very smart. Thomas-the Holts' descendant-got the part of the serum that accelerated physical strength, and Jane-your descendant, Phoenix, and Jonah's-got the part of the serum that made you creative, artsy, and all that. The master serum was made of 39 ingredients-the 39 Clues. The hunt was to find all the ingredients that made up the master serum. The master serum was the thing all four branches had been seeking for all time-the whole war over that led to some of the greatest wars of our time," she explained.

Phoenix nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get it." He turned to Sinead, "How about you carry on this story?"

Sinead crunched on a chip, "The clue that Grace gave us to start off led us to the Franklin Institute. There, we caught up with Amy and Dan, and then a…" She trailed off.

Phoenix's eyes flickered to Hamilton. "How about you continue?"

"We set off a bomb. We set off a bomb that…" Hamilton looked at Sinead, shook his head, and stopped talking.

"That blinded me and gave Ned headaches so severe that he couldn't think," Ted finished. "And from what we've learned, it was Hamilton's idea. The Holts set off a bomb that sent us into the hospital for most of the rest of the clue hunt. And that's the end of _our _story for now."

"…and now Sinead and Hamilton are dating? What the heck?" Phoenix looked puzzled. "Hamilton set off a bomb that could've killed her and now they're dating. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?"

"Betrayals lead to weird things," Sinead said, looking down at the scars on her arm.

Natalie and I glanced over at Ian and Amy, and I could tell both Ian and Amy were thinking the same thing. _South Korea._

Well, Amy, we'll have to get to that. Eventually.

_Ian_

"…and the piano blew up," Natalie said, finishing the story of Venice.

Phoenix was still sitting on the coffee table, looking interested. "What more?"

Dan interrupted, his eyes mischievous. "I have an idea. Let's get to the story of South Korea/Japan-the one time the Kabras and Cahills were in an alliance."

Everyone in the room visibly perked up. Sinead's eyes lit up. Hamilton had a curious expression on his face. Ted and Ned and Madison and Reagan were all staring at Dan, riveted. Phoenix's eyes gleamed. Natalie and Dan both looked positively evil, and Amy and I sent glares toward them. Jonah's face had lost its angry expression, and he was listening, looking really interested.

"Okay…start then," Phoenix grinned at Amy and I, and we both glared at him. "Dan…you start."

Dan's eyes lit up and he started talking immediately. "Well…Amy and I got a lead that led us to Japan. We were going to board our plane when the Kabras swooped in and stole our boarding passes. And then we went out of the airport…" Dan swept past the story of Alistair and the private jet as fast as he could. When he got to the part when Natalie and I showed up, his face turned mischievous. "And the Kabras showed up. Did you know Natalie's allergic to cats?"

"Really?" Ted/Ned asked. "Really, it's fascinating how allergies work…"

"…it is-." The other Starling boy was cut off by Dan.

"MOVING ON," Dan said, "Ian and Amy were sitting next to each other in the car, and Ian touched Amy's hand and totally did a mind-meld on her…"

"I OBJECT TO THAT!" Amy yelled, from her spot next to me.

Everyone turned to look at her, and her cheeks flamed red. "Never mind…"

"Okay, and then we got to South Korea," Dan said, skipping past the story of the plane and everything. "And Amy was totally all girly and weird, and Ian commented on window moldings…"

"What kind of 14 year old guy comments on _window moldings?_" Reagan asked, and Dan laughed.

"That is exactly what I said! Okay, and then Ian, he…" Dan's eyes gleamed as he turned to Natalie. "Would you like to tell this part?"

Natalie sent a smirk in my direction. "Of course. Well, Ian, he disobeyed Alistair's instructions, and he went into a hedge maze there, and there was a gigantic dog named Buffy in there, and Buffy bit off Ian's pants right on his…uh…_backside, _and you could see his pink underpants!"

Everyone burst out laughing, and I could feel my cheeks turning hot. "Haven't we all went through the different types of underwear that the boys in this place wear? Gold ones with _Da Wiz _in cursive written on them? Pokémon?"

That shut the boys up, but made the girls start laughing like lunatics, even Amy.

Phoenix looked a tiny bit puzzled, "Okay…so you made this alliance. And then you get to South Korea and stay in Alistair's mansion. And, um, Amy had a crush on Ian? And then Ian gets his pants ruined by some crazy dog named Buffy guarding something in a middle of a hedge maze…"

"Yup. And then Alistair showed us what Buffy was guarding," Dan continued, "And it was a library, which Amy _obviously _loved…"

"Libraries are awesome!" Sinead and Amy said in unison. They turned to each other and grinned.

Natalie breathed, "Could we stop all this annoying nonsense and get to the cave?"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE CAVE?" Amy and I shouted at the same time, and everyone turned to look at us.

Sinead looked curious, Hamilton looked excited, Ted and Ned were rubbing their hands together in anticipation, Madison and Reagan looked very, very interested, Phoenix was staring at us, a gleam in his eyes, and Jonah's eyes weren't angry at all-they were curious and interested and riveted. Dan and Natalie both raised their eyebrows.

Then, Natalie said, "Nothing. We know nothing about the cave. Is there something we should know?" She smirked, and Dan did, too.

Wow…Amy and I danced right into that trap of theirs.

"N-n-no," Amy stuttered.

"I think we should let Amy and Ian tell this," Phoenix grinned and turned to Amy and me.

And then the truth serum kicked in, starting to force words out of my mouth.

_Natalie_

Ian started talking, "The clues we found in the library led us to a cave…uh, halfway there, we took a break for lunch."

"And Ian threw some moss at me, and we raced. Then we talked." Amy continued. She was about to move on, but Sinead interrupted.

"What did you say?" Sinead asked.

"Yeah, what did you say to each other?" Dan piped up. He paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, and before they left, I told them to name their first child after me."

Everyone laughed, and I turned to look at Dan in disbelief. He shrugged.

Ian paused, then said, "I said to her, 'not bad for a Cahill.'"

Amy nodded, confirming it, "And, um, I said, 'you're a Cahill, too.'"

"And then I said, 'touche.'" Ian finished. "A very short conversation."

"What were you _feeling?_" Phoenix asked, grinning.

Ian and Amy both turned pale. Amy looked down at the floor and pressed her lips tightly together. Ian looked away.

"Tell us," Madison and Reagan whined in unison.

Ian ran his fingers through his hair. "I was under instructions to charm and flirt with Amy," he finally said. "But I wasn't acting." He poked his now-probably-freezing lasagna with his fork.

Amy took a breath, "I was mad at him, at first…but then…well, I thought he was perfect. Amazing. We were just having fun…" She trailed off and shoved some of the lasagna in her mouth.

"Great, continuing…what happened when you were covered in that cloud of dust that came out of the cave…and the rock avalanche and everything?" I asked, and Dan turned to me and grinned.

"Exactly what I was about to ask," Dan announced. We high-fived.

Amy and Ian's eyes both widened, and I knew I had asked the right question. I leaned forward and propped my chin up with my hands. "Tell us, dear brother. Tell us."

_Sinead_

Amy had explained briefly about South Korea…but this was interesting. I could tell she had left out details…and this was probably one of the details.

Ian leaned back in his chair, "Well, we found out a way to open the cave. And the rocks came raining down. And I shoved Amy out of the way."

"He saved my life," Amy said softly.

Everyone was captivated now, staring at Amy and Ian. This was the story behind how the whole Amy/Ian thing got started. This was what nobody knew except Amy and Ian.

"I had to. I couldn't let her die," Ian's voice was becoming softer and softer with each word. "She was supposed to be a tactic, a way to get ahead in the hunt. But…she was lovely."

Amy's eyes went down to the ground. "I…he actually said the word _lovely _out loud. I accused him of being sarcastic."

"There's more," Hamilton suddenly said. "There's much more. The way you two are looking down at the ground and stuff…there's much more to the story."

A long pause. Finally, the truth serum took place and Amy stuttered out, "H-he k-kissed me. N-not r-really a k-kiss…b-but h-his l-lips b-brushed m-mine."

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Dan and Natalie stood up and started screaming.

"YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!"

"YOU KISSED HIM…BACK THEN?"

"NO WONDER YOU ALWAYS SEEMED SO FAR AWAY, IAN! AND WHENEVER YOU HEARD HER NAME, THIS WEIRD EXPRESSION WOULD COME OVER YOUR FACE!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU KISSED HIM BACK WHEN YOU WERE FOURTEEN!"

"THAT'S WHY YOU HAD SUCH A HARD TIME GETTING OVER IT!" Dan and Natalie screamed in unison, ending their rant.

Ian pressed something into Amy's hand and smiled. "I hope you completely and entirely forgive me. But if you didn't…here's something to bribe you into it."

"Once a Kabra, always a Kabra," Amy rolled her eyes.

Hamilton tightened his hold around me. "Do you want me to bribe you to forgive me completely and forget about it?"

"You're all the bribery I need, Hamilton. All the bribery I need," I smile up at Hamilton and he smiles back.

_Ted_

Reagan and I are laughing at Dan and Natalie's rant.

"That was hilarious," Reagan laughed, falling into me. I grinned.

"Dan and Natalie make no sense. They're yelling at Amy and Ian, who actually _have _a reason to like each other…" I grin, looking at Dan and Natalie, who are sitting down now, glaring at Ian and Amy.

Amy's fiddling with her hands. She's uncomfortable…all the signs say it. Amy's blushing, playing with her hands, not making eye contact with anyone, and yeah. Ian's not looking at anyone.

Phoenix looked thoroughly satisfied with how his plan had gone. Poisoning us, forcing us to reveal things that had happened during the clue hunt…suddenly, I'm glad I was out of half of it and all the things I have to tell about the clue hunt is, 'I stayed in a hospital and was blind.'

Not very exciting, compared to stories of betrayals and caves and sharks and all that.

Phoenix stood up and glanced at Jonah, whose lips were moving soundlessly, trying to say something. Phoenix turned to Ian. "When will that poison wear off?"

"It'll wear off by morning," Ian shrugged. "You have to admit, the silence is refreshing."

Everyone nodded. "Refreshing," I repeated, "Yes, yes it is."

Jonah reached into his pocket, pulled out a pen and notepad, and wrote something on the notepad. He passed around the notepad. When it got to me, I read what it said. _HELLO! I'M STILL HERE!_

Reagan smirked. "We know you're still here. We're just ignoring you." She tossed the notepad back to Jonah.

He started scribbling on it again, and when it was passed around, people started rolling their eyes. Reagan handed the notepad to me and I read it. _NO ONE IGNORES DA WIZ!_

I tossed the notepad on the ground. "So, since we're spending the night in this freezing apartment…" Ned began.

"It's not even cold anymore," Madison said, looking up at the ceiling. "I guess we've gotten used to it."

I finished Ned's sentence, "We need to divide up the six rooms. Or at least find places for us to all sleep."

"Six rooms, so, two people in each room. There are twelve people. This is nice and easy," Sinead said.

So we're dividing up rooms. Fiske really wants us to stay in this freezing underground chamber the whole night.

I almost feel like I'm in my grave and Fiske has buried us alive.

_Ned_

I walk into the room I was sharing with Madison. Everyone _insisted _on doing boy-girl partnering…this was going to be an interesting night.

I turned to Madison. "Do you want to, you know, bug the rooms?"

"Bug the rooms?" Madison raised her eyebrows questioningly, sitting down on the armchair.

"Plant cameras," I hold up a handful of microchips. "Mini cameras. I mean…who knows what Amy and Ian would do in a room that they're spending a night together in? Not to mention that they'll want to keep warm…"

Madison raised his eyebrows, "Ned, you are revolting."

"Aw, come on…" I handed her two microchips. "You bug Hamilton and Sinead's room, and also Ted and Reagan's. Come on! It'll be…interesting."

Madison rolled her eyes, "I don't know why I'm agreeing with you."

"You can't say no to me, that's why," I grin.

Madison walks out of the room. I do, too, with two microchips. I run into Ian and Amy's room. Ian's taking a shower in the bathroom of their room, and Amy is huddled on the bed, her hair wet, looking like she's already taken a shower and wearing fresh clothes, a blanket draped around her shoulders.

"Hi, Amy!" I said, walking over to her. "Are you cold? It's cold!" I search around, looking for a perfect angle to place the microchip. There. On the shelf on the wall beside the bed, facing the bed. I walk over to the shelf and placed the microchip there. "Bye, Amy! Have a good night! I just wanted to come and say good night!"

Amy looked at me weirdly. She's holding a hairbrush and brushing her hair, probably more to keep warm than because it was necessary. "Okay…good night, Ned."

Then I ran out and ran into Dan and Natalie's room. Natalie was in the bathroom, looking through all the different beauty products, and Dan was lying on the bed in the room. I place the microchip at a place where it could face the bed. "Hi, Dan, Natalie! Bye, Dan, Natalie! Good night, Dan, Natalie!"

Then I ran out of the room and back to mine and Madison's. Madison was sitting on the armchair, looking bored. "I did what you wanted," she told me, when I went into the room and closed the door.

I pulled out my phone and clicked on the app that connected it to the microchips. It whirred to life, and started showing a scene going on in Dan and Natalie's room. Natalie was coming out of the bathroom, two bathrobes draped on her arm. "I found bathrobes." Natalie said in the video.

"Cool. So, are you going to shower first?"

"Sure," Natalie threw a bathrobe on Dan and went into the bathroom.

Dan grinned, threw the bathrobe off, and stared up at the ceiling.

"Well, that was a boring scene," Madison said. She was watching the scene from beside me. I sank into an armchair and Madison sat on the arm of it. "How about we do Ted and Reagan next? See if they're up to anything interesting…"

I changed the scene to one in Ted and Reagan's room, and was satisfied to see Madison picked a good place to put the microchip.

Ted was setting out blankets on the floor, for himself to sleep on. Exactly what I was planning on doing later…Ted and I have always thought alike.

Reagan was throwing a pillow at Ted. "For your bed that will probably not keep you warm. You _sure_ you don't want me to sleep on the floor?"

"Yes, I'm sure, Reagan." Ted sent a smile toward Reagan and she smiled back.

"This is boring," I said. Then a mischievous expression came across my face. "How about we check out Sinead and Hamilton? Or better yet, Ian and Amy. They are _definitely _going to be interesting."

_Hamilton_

I sit down on the bed and look around. "It's cold. You take the bed. I'll sleep on the armchair or something."

Sinead shakes her head at me. "No…" She stands up and walks into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower. We shall argue about this after."

I rolled my eyes, "There's nothing to argue about. You take the bed."

Sinead walked into the bathroom and shut the door. "I _said, _we'll argue about this after."

I heard the sound of taps and running water, and I flopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Sinead…she really was amazing. She would forgive me after I blew her up at the Franklin Institute…not only forgive, but she's willing to forget most of it and even share a room with me.

There wasn't any other word to describe her. She was amazing, just amazing.

And now I sound like one of those crazy-obsessed guys in cheesy romance movies that run after the girl and then get down on one knee and then pour their heart out to the girl and then propose-and that happens within the time frame of, like, thirty minutes of knowing the girl.

A Tomas obsessing over an Ekaterina.

Nobody thought the day would ever come. I smile softly to myself.

_Madison_

"Well, that was boring," I said, glancing at the scene going on in Hamilton and Sinead's room. Hamilton lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, smiling.

"I know one pair who won't fail to entertain us," Ned said, changing the screen to Amy and Ian's room. I leaned forward eagerly.

Ian was walking out of the bathroom, his black hair wet, a towel wrapped around his waist. "The water in there is freezing cold, love."

"Ian, it's freezing cold out here," Amy said back, in the video. A blanket is draped around her shoulders and she's shaking.

"It's all right. Now, is there a closet somewhere in here? I'll prefer not to freeze to death over the night." Ian started looking around. Amy nodded toward a perfectly concealed door beside an armchair.

Ian opened the door and started looking around. He came up with some clothes, went into the bathroom, and changed into them. He came out wearing a white t-shirt and jeans.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and grinned at Amy. "Are you cold, love?"

Amy shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around her. Ian wrapped his arms around her and started kissing her cheek, her collarbone, and her arms.

Ned and I watched, riveted.

Amy looked up at Ian, "Was the kiss in Korea…real?"

Ian came closer to her. "Yes. But it wasn't one of my best. Would you like me to make it up to you?" He whispered.

Amy leaned closer to Ian and they started kissing. Ian pulled the white box he had given to Amy earlier out from behind the pillows and pulled out a jade bracelet. "This is for you, love. For you," he clasped it around her wrist and they went back to kissing, more furiously than ever.

Ned changed the scene to the one currently playing out in Dan and Natalie's room. Natalie was currently standing by the bed, her hair pinned up in a fancy hairstyle. "What do you think of this hairstyle?" She asked Dan.

Dan yawned. He was lying on the bed, his hands folded behind his head, "Look, Natalie, you're awesome and all, but you're a little too obsessed with fashion and hairstyles. Honestly. You look beautiful any way you pin your hair. I could make you go through a repeat of the _Titanic _sinking and you'll still look beautiful." Dan reached out his hand, "Come over here, Nat Cobra."

"_Natalie, _Daniel, _Natalie._"

"And it's DAN, Natalie, _Dan._" Dan grinned as Natalie walked closer to him. He reached out his hands lazily and started to pull out the pins in Natalie's hair. Her hair fell down her back in a cascade of black waves. "It's cold. Come on…" He pulled Natalie down onto the bed.

Natalie ran her hands through Dan's hair. "It would look better with gel in it, you know," She leaned over and planted a kiss on Dan's mouth.

"I feel hurt that you don't think I'll look good natural," Dan mumbled, pulling Natalie in for another kiss.

Just then, Ned changed the scene to the one in Hamilton and Sinead's room.

Hamilton is sitting on an armchair, and Sinead's standing in front of him.

"You take the bed, Hamilton," Sinead was saying, her voice firm.

"No, you take it," Hamilton yawned. "How many times do I have to say it? You will freeze if you don't take the bed."

"No, I won't. I don't even feel cold!" Sinead argued.

"You don't feel cold because you're used to it and you're _moving around!_ When you're not moving around, you'll freeze in your sleep!"

"Hamilton, you're taking the bed."

"Sinead, you are."

"You are."

"You are."

"You are."

"You-." Hamilton leaned forward and kissed Sinead, cutting her off. They stayed like that for a good two minutes or so. When he pulled away, Sinead seemed dazed.

"Now will you take the bed?" Hamilton asked, pushing a lock of hair off Sinead's face.

Sinead nodded.

Ned put his finger on the screen of his phone and changed it to Ted and Reagan's room.

_Reagan_

Ted sat next to me on the edge of the bed and tucked the spring of lavender behind my ear. "Reagan…you'll be fine tonight. The lavender will make you fall asleep right away. You'll probably dream a good dream."

I looked up at him and he smiled down at me. "Are you cold?"

I look at all the blankets he had piled up on top of me. I could still feel some of the cold, but it was much warmer. "No…how can I be? You'll be freezing tonight. You used all the blankets up on me. How much do I have to say it-I don't need the blankets?"

"I _know _you don't need the blankets, Reagan. You're _Reagan._ You're a Holt. You're strong. I just want you to have them…" Ted said, brushing a lock of my hair out of my eyes.

"Well, take some of them. I must have at least five on top of me. Do you want me to overheat to death?" I grin and Ted laughs.

"Fine, then, if you insist," Ted pulls two of the blankets off and throws them onto his makeshift bed on the ground.

"Much better," I said. The lavender scent wafts over to my nose and I feel myself getting sleepy.

Ted walks over to his bed on the ground and puffs up the pillows. He lies down on the bed and closed his eyes. "Sweet dreams, Regan," he murmured, "The Vespers aren't coming tonight."

_Jonah_

Phoenix and I look at each other.

"I take this side of the bed," I said, indicating the side closest to the door. I'm so glad my vocal chords have finally started working! I can finally sing songs again! And talk….talking was important, too. I had missed the sound of my own voice.

Phoenix nodded. "Fine with me."

We were silent.

I sat down at the edge of the bed, "I am bored to death. Should I go around singing love songs to the girls? That's so fun to do…"

"Yeah, knowing the guys, they would either poison you, beat you up until you die, or make some sort of machine that will kill you. Uh…I don't think you should," Phoenix said, "Haven't you done enough of that lately?"

"But, dude, it never gets old! It'll be so fun if the guys don't try to kill me after…" I sigh and look up at the ceiling. "I wonder what they're doing. They're probably all having more fun than us."

Phoenix sat down on one of the armchairs and shrugged, "So…the stories they all told me today…they were true?"

"All of them," I replied, lying down on the bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"Wow…"

"Yeah." I replied, looking at the blank ceiling. So…bored… "All true. We've really lived through all this stuff. And that's not the end of the story. It was three years ago. We've went through more."

"And I haven't? Where was I?" Phoenix pouted, and I had to laugh.

"Phoenix, you didn't want to live through all those things. They kept most of us awake with nightmares for ages. Consider yourself lucky you didn't have to go through all that."

_Phoenix_

Okay, the clue hunt, I had to admit, sounded scary. I mean, Amy and Dan had went through an underground train station, almost been hit by a train, in a real life ninja fight with ninja stars, found clues hidden in human skulls…yeah. That was actually pretty cool, if you could forget the fact that you could've died while doing that…that was super cool.

I actually sort of wanted to be in more action. I mean, once someone tells you you're part of one of the most powerful families in the world, no, _the _most powerful family in the world…you sort of expect more of your life.

And once it falls short of your expectations, you're dissatisfied.

But in the Cahill world, anything that's _exciting _could mean _death._

-End-

**A/N: And there's another chapter, for all of you awesome reviewers! You're all awesome! So…I'm going to let you pick what kind of one-shot I write next. In your reviews, mention a couple/characters you would like me to write about. And I will write about one of them. Understand? OKAY! Now, go and press that button and REVIEW! And tell me what couple/characters you would like me to write about next! (And I actually have to like this couple to write something about it…or else the one-shot would suck. So sorry to those of you requesting pairings I don't support).**

**THANK YOU FOR READING THIS! AND TO TELL ME YOU'VE READ IT, REVIEW! ;D**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay, okay, here's another chapter! I wanted Chapter Fourteen to be awesome, since fourteen is my favourite number and all…but it's the longest chapter I have ever written! That counts for something! And for all you AWESOME REVIEWERS, thank you so much for your reviews! I have more than one hundred! YAYYYYYY! *jumps up and runs around house dancing and screaming***

**Ahem…yes. So, read on, everyone. I give you-CHAPTER FOURTEEN! **

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Uh…JONAH!**

**Jonah: Yeah?**

**Me: Do you mind making up a disclaimer song for this chapter?**

**Jonah: Uh…okay! Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or anything she may have mentioned in here. She never will so remember that, oh, yeah! **

**Me: That was a pretty suckish song…but I'll accept it. Read on, everyone ;)**

_Amy_

The next morning, everyone seemed pretty dazed, except for Phoenix and Jonah. We all sat around the destroyed living room, waiting for something to happen and for Fiske to let us out of this underground prison of his. It was slightly warmer than before, and nobody had frozen to death over the night, thank goodness.

"What time is it?" Jonah asked. Apparently he had regained his vocal chords. Awesome.

"We've been in here…" Ted/Ned said.

"…almost twelve hours," the other finished.

"Great, so we'll be out of here soon," Reagan grinned. I noticed she was wearing a pair of purple ballet slippers.

Madison twirled a purple leaf around and around with her fingers. Where did she get a purple leaf, of all things? "Good. It's not fun being stuck underground. It feels…creepy. Especially on an island that not a lot of people know about, and no people live on."

Natalie held her hand up to the dim lights on the ceiling. I noticed a gold charm bracelet clasped around her wrist. "Well…I can't see any openings anywhere."

Sinead, who was poring over a gigantic book on her lap, mumbled, "Well, Fiske is a master of hiding things. He might have hid them with the lights or ventilation system."

I twist the jade bracelet around and around my wrist. "I hope he lets us out of here. I miss daylight."

As if on cue, a hole opened up on the ceiling and a rope ladder dropped down. Everyone jumped up and lunged for the ladder. Hamilton knocked everyone aside, which caused a lot of grumbling, to make sure Sinead went up the ladder first. Then Ned and Ted helped Madison and Reagan up. Jonah and Phoenix started singing a random song I have never heard before at the top of their lungs, making Dan, Natalie, Ian and I cover our ears. When we were trying to recover from the headache Jonah and Phoenix had given us, they scrambled up the ladder. Then Dan and Natalie went up…so naturally Ian and I were last.

"You first, love. You miss daylight, after all," Ian smiled at me, and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Of course you would think that's ridiculous. You're the guy who has _no _love for nature," I said, climbing up the ladder.

At the top of the ladder was a garden of magnolia trees. The petals were swirling down, and the sun was just rising, and it was beautiful. Jonah ran over to me, holding a magnolia leaf. "Here, Amy. Look at this leaf. It's-."

Before he could continue, Ian pushed him away from me. "Stay away from her, you Janus."

Jonah grinned, "Protective of your little girlfriend, are you? Fine, I'll stay away from her," and then he bounced over to Natalie and started talking to her about magnolia petals.

Of course, when Dan saw, his face turned red and he tried using his nonexistent ninja powers on Jonah, which was really quite funny to watch. Natalie was doubled over laughing.

Hamilton and Sinead were already walking back in the direction of the mansion, which you could see far away on its cliff, silhouetted against the sun. Ned, Ted, Madison, and Reagan were right behind them.

I tug on Ian's arm, "Let's walk back to the mansion. I've missed it."

Ian sighed, "Anything for you, love."

I lean down and pick up a magnolia petal from the ground. "It's nice to be aboveground again. This is actually a really pretty island, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes, they have gardens of all sorts. There's a lavender field, a bird garden, a tulip garden, a rose garden…basically, it's all gardens," Ian said. My eyes lit up at the thought of all that beauty. It was almost as good as a library. Almost.

"I want to see all of them!" I said, sprinting down the path after Ted and Reagan.

I heard Ian grumbling behind me. "Leave it to Amy Cahill to want to do that…"

_Dan_

Natalie and I raced up the hill to the mansion, and into the mansion, and into the sitting room. Still, we were the last ones to get there. Everyone was already sitting around the coffee table in all the recliners, chairs, couches, beanbags…I sat down on a couch and Natalie sat down beside me.

Jonah was reclining in a recliner, reading the Notebook of Fiske's Torturous Instructions. He stretched and threw the notebook back on the table. "Under today's date, it says, '_do whatever you would like. I suppose most of you want a break from my bonding strategies.'"_

Everyone sighed in relief. Natalie turned to me, grinning.

"I thought the day would never come," Phoenix said, dramatically, holding his hands up to the ceiling.

"Can't you Janus quit being such Drama Queens?" Hamilton asked, leaning back on the couch he was sitting on.

"Kings. Drama Kings," Jonah corrected. He thought for a moment, "I have an idea! Let's play Truth or Dare."

"This is like a bonding game…" I heard Ian mutter. "I thought we were taking a break from bonding games…"

But everyone else was agreeing. I nodded my agreement, and Natalie said, "Fine. Let's play Truth or Dare."

"No!" Ian was the only one who protested. "We are not playing Truth or Dare!"

Amy put a hand on Ian's arm and I pushed away the urge to throw up. I suppose I shouldn't be as disgusted by the idea of Amy and Ian that much, since I'm with Natalie…but still. Old habits die hard. Beside me, I could see Natalie looking disgusted, too. "Ian, calm down. Majority rules. We're playing Truth or Dare, and there's nothing you can do to change it, so just calm down."

Ian sat down, grumbling. Jonah rubbed his hands together in anticipation, his eyes darting around the room, a mischievous look on his face. "I'll start," Jonah grinned. "Uh…Sinead. Truth or Dare?"

"Uh…Dare?" Sinead said, but it came out as a question.

Jonah's eyes glinted and Sinead paled. "Okay, Sinead. I dare you to…go and flirt with Dan, and make it _believable, _and I will be the judge of whether it is or not believable, for a whole…say, five minutes."

I held my hands in front of me. "NO! The Ninja Master refuses to let that happen! If that is going to happen, the Ninja Master will unleash his fury on you!"

"It's going to happen," Jonah's voice was full of anticipation. "Now, GO AND DO IT, Sinead!"

Sinead walked over to me, biting her lip. Natalie was already sending the signature Kabra glare at her, and Hamilton looked like he was ready to rip apart the entire mansion, all seven stories and all. Sinead sat down next to me on the couch and started talking, sugar-coating her words. "Hi, Dan! It's soooooo nice to see you," she twirled a lock of hair around her finger as everyone watched, Hamilton and Natalie mad, Amy and Ian half-horrified, half-amused, Ted and Ned amused and horrified, Reagan and Madison looking like they didn't really care, Phoenix looked amused, and Jonah's expression was one of obvious delight.

Sinead swallowed and smiled sweetly at me, but I could tell it was forced. "Have I mentioned how, uh, gorgeous your eyes are?" I wanted to throw up at this, and I could tell Sinead wanted to, too. "They're _amazing _and…uh, green! I like the colour green…" She turned to Jonah, and her voice changed from fake sweet to angry. "Can I stop now, Jonah? You do not know how much this is torturing me."

"No, go on," Jonah said, his eyes glinting. "It's entertaining." Hamilton clenched his fists and Natalie's hands went to her dart gun.

Sinead shook her head and turned back to me, her voice gaining the fake sweetness again. "And you are so incredibly…uh, _sweet." _

At this I actually was at danger of throwing up. I'm sure my face was horrified. "You're so sweet," Sinead continued, her teeth clenched. "And…"

This went on for another five minutes. When Jonah finally declared it done, I slumped back in my seat and Sinead went racing back to Hamilton, who was still glaring at me murderously. Natalie leaned over and kissed me, whispering in my ear, "You are mine. _Mine. _Kabras do not share." Then she pulled back and sent the Kabra glare toward Sinead again.

I ruffled her hair and grinned at her. "Trust me, I hated that."

Sinead cleared her throat, "Now that that's done with…Phoenix, Truth or Dare?"

Phoenix thought for a moment, "Truth."

"Wimp," Madison said, and Ned nudged her. She shut up.

"Okay," Sinead said, thinking hard. "Fine. Phoenix, answer this-what do you think of this _vacation?_"

"That it is not a vacation, it's some sort of crazy bonding thing, and it's interesting, weird, and deadly at the same time," Phoenix answered without any hesitation. Then he looked around. "It's my turn."

Jonah leaned over and whispered something into his ear, and Phoenix raised his eyebrows. Then he turned to Jonah. "Jonah, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," Jonah said, a glint in his eyes.

"I dare you to serenade Amy."

Oh, Ian's not going to like this one bit. Not one bit.

_Ian_

_Serenade Amy?_ That Janus idiot is going to SERENADE AMY? I fumbled around in my pocket for the voice disabling darts. I could not let that Janus idiot _serenade Amy!_

"Oh, and Hamilton?" Phoenix turned toward Hamilton.

Hamilton looked up and said, "What?"

"Hold Ian back," Phoenix said, nodding toward me. "Don't let him poison Jonah when he's doing his dare."

Hamilton stood up, walked toward me, and held me back easily with one arm. I struggled against his grasp, but he pinned me firmly to the couch. I couldn't reach my poisons…

Jonah stood up, stretched, and walked over to Amy. Just seeing that made me want to punch that 'insured face,' of his…

"Hi, Amy," Jonah grinned. "This song is dedicated to you…simply because it's just for you. I made it up." Jonah flashed a stupid smile, and I wanted to knock it straight off his face. I wanted to kill him, poison him with the most lethal poison there was…

Jonah started to sing. "_Oh, I'll run across a thousand cities, dance in the pouring rain, I'll save you from the world as we know it today, I'll run, I'll run, I'll run to you. I'll run, I'll run, I'll run to you. I'll dance with you 'til the day wears out, I'll kiss you in all ways, I'll love you always and forever. I'll love, I'll love, I'll love. I'll love, I'll love, I'll love. Oh, yeah…your eyes are like the brightest jade, your hair as red as fire, I love the way you stutter and smile, the way you savour every flower…"_

He went on singing for another ten minutes, putting everything _I _thought of Amy into that song. I was fuming by the time Jonah was done, and by then, Amy was giggling and actually _smiling._ I narrowed my eyes.

Jonah turned, sent a grin in my direction, bowed, and went back into his seat. How dare he serenade Amy, that idiot, idiot, idiot Janus. How dare he…I would send the whole Lucian branch after him. I would poison him for all days. He would wish he had never made up that song, wish that he had never suggested the game of Truth or Dare…

"Uh…Ian?" Dan piped up from beside my sister. I turned to glare at him, still fuming. Dan shrank back and Natalie patted his arm and sent a glare back at me. I ignored her.

"Ian…" Ted/Ned started.

"…are you all right? You practically have…" the other Starling boy continued.

"…smoke coming out of your ears."

I turned and glared at them, too. I was going through ways to kill that Janus idiot in my head…

Hamilton let go of me and I immediately lunged for Jonah, took a random dart out of my pocket, and stabbed it into Jonah's arm. "HOW DARE YOU SERENADE…AMY! HAVE YOU NOT DONE ENOUGH OF THAT ALREADY, YOU JANUS IDIOT?" I kept on stabbing darts into his arm, and Jonah whimpered in pain. Finally, Hamilton came over and pulled me off Jonah.

"Ian…calm down…you're going to kill him." Hamilton said, yanking me back to my seat next to Amy.

"THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT!" I yelled, throwing another dart at Jonah. It sank into his arm. Jonah winced.

Amy leaned over and kissed me, and we stayed like that for a long, long, time. When Amy pulled away, she whispered, "Calm down, Ian. Calm down. It's fine. Jonah's just my friend. Calm down. He did it for a dare. He had no other choice. Calm down."

I took a deep breath and looked around. Dan and Natalie were sitting on their couch, shielding their eyes. "Is it over yet?" Dan yelled.

"Yes," Hamilton said, and Natalie stood up and went over to Jonah. She inspected the darts I had embedded in his skin.

"Dear brother, you have really got to learn to control your temper," Natalie said, plucking darts out of Jonah's arm. Jonah was pretty out of it. His eyes were glazed over and he was moaning. "Lucky none of these darts are lethal. They're mostly just knockout poisons. But you _overdosed,_ big time." Natalie reached in her pocket and pulled out a vial of something. She dripped some of the liquid into Jonah's mouth, which had dropped open. "The darts were basically needles. They wouldn't do much damage. Only a lot of pricks in his arm. Not noticeable at all. But you still have to learn how to control your temper, Ian." She flicked the darts into the garbage can.

"Are you done lecturing?" I asked, and some people laughed. Phoenix looked horrified at the state Jonah was in, the Starlings looked like they had predicted it, and the Holts looked like they had expected it. And Dan and Amy and Natalie…well, they also looked like they had expected it from the start.

Jonah's head dropped and he went unconscious. Natalie went back to her seat, "Oh, well…the antidote was the strongest the Lucians have ever come up with. It should return him back to normal in a little while."

"A _little while?_" Phoenix was trembling. "How long is a _little while?_"

Natalie glanced over at Phoenix. "A couple hours."

"Good, so Phoenix has nothing to worry about," Reagan said, brushing her hands off. She turned to Ted/Ned. "Will you present my idea?"

"Fine," the Starling boy said. "Since Jonah is no longer conscious to make this interesting…we're going to make this more interesting. If you don't want to answer a question/do the dare that someone has given you, you'll have to take off one article of clothing. Understand? Jewellery and accessories don't count."

There were a lot of raised eyebrows, but nobody said anything.

Well, this was going to get…interesting.

_Natalie_

Since Jonah was unconscious, Hamilton decided to take his turn. He turned to me, "Natalie. Truth or Dare?"

"Uh…truth."

"So, what did you think of Dan during…well, that alliance you had in Korea?" Hamilton asked, and I thought for a moment.

"I thought he was an…" I faltered when I saw Dan looking at me curiously. I bit my lip. I looked down at what I was wearing-a very thin jacket I found in the closet in the underground apartment of Fiske's, a t-shirt, and a pair of shorts. I pulled off the jacket and tossed it on the ground. "I'm not answering that."

"What? What did you think of me back then?" Dan shook me, "NATALIE!"

I shrugged, "Okay, moving on…Ian, Truth or Dare?"

"NATALIE!" Dan yelled again. "Tell me!"

I ignored him. Ian thought for a moment, and then said, "Dare."

"Okay, I dare you to make out with one of the Holt girls for…five minutes." Jonah would've been proud…

Amy's eyes widened and Ian's jaw dropped. "You can't make me do that." Ian shook his head.

"YOU CAN'T MAKE US DO THAT EITHER!" Madison and Reagan yelled in unison.

"I OBJECT TO THAT!" Ted and Ned screamed at the same time as Madison and Reagan yelled, 'You can't make us do that!'

Ian shook his head and reached for the hem of whatever t-shirt he had found in the room he was sharing with Amy last night. With one smooth motion, he pulled it over his head.

All the girls in the room except for me stared. I wouldn't blame them. First of all, Ian was a Kabra, which made him naturally attractive, and second of all…he had been down at the gym a lot lately.

Ted, Ned, and Hamilton glared at Ian, and he shrugged. "Okay, Hamilton…Truth or Dare?"

"Dare. Holts always take Dare," Hamilton replied, leaning back on his pillows.

My brother thought for a moment, and then Amy whispered something into his ear.

"Okay," Ian turned to Hamilton, grinning. "I dare you to completely embarrass yourself in front of Sinead."

Oh, this was going to be fun to watch. I turned to Dan and saw that he was thinking the same thing.

_Sinead_

Well, this was going to be…interesting. I watched as Hamilton considered what he should do. Finally, he pulled off his shirt and threw it on the ground, "I'm not doing that." He looked around for a moment. "Dan, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare. Ninja Masters are not wimps. They take Dares," Dan grinned, and Amy and I rolled our eyes.

"Fine," Hamilton said. "I dare you to go and make out with…uh, Madison."

Ned and Natalie jumped up from their seats. When they saw everyone was looking at them, they sat back down again. Natalie looked like she was ready to kill, her hand was hovering over her dart gun, and Ned was inspecting Dan and probably sketching a blueprint in his head of something that could kill/capture Dan.

Dan walked slowly over to Madison. Madison recoiled from him and curled up to Ned.

"Dan! Get away from me! Natalie will kill me and I will be like Jonah if you ever do this! And…well, no offense, but…_ugh._" Madison said, holding her hands up in defense.

Dan sighed. "Fine," he pulled off his shirt and went back to the couch he was sharing with Natalie. Natalie smiled at him, and he ruffled her hair.

Just then, Jonah woke up, groaning. "What happened?" He glanced at all the pricks that Ian had made in his arms. "I remember…"

"We were playing Truth or Dare, you were serenading Amy on a Dare, Ian got mad at you and he poisoned you with about a hundred darts, Natalie gave you the antidote," I said, summing up everything neatly.

Jonah nodded, "I remember that. Ian…dude, did you really have to poison me?" His words were slurred.

"Sorry, Janus," Ian replied, looking somewhat sheepish. A Kabra looking sheepish!

"You know, this game really isn't going anywhere," Phoenix cut in. He thought for a moment. "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we throw a party?"

"A party?" Ted raised his eyebrows.

"Phoenix, the only people on this island is us…" Ned said.

"…in case you've forgotten," Ted finished.

"I haven't forgotten! I think it would be an awesome idea to throw a party tonight! Just saying…like, you know, a formal party with food and all that, and music…since this is probably the only day Fiske is giving us a break, why don't we enjoy it?" Phoenix sounded so excited.

We all stare at him blankly.

Finally, Ian said, "I think it would be a horrible idea. Why don't we just spend the rest of the day in isolation, without any 'bonding?'"

Phoenix's face fell, and I felt sorry for him. "Aw, come on. It'll be…interesting. And we'll get to dress up…what do you think, Natalie? Amy?"

Natalie's eyes lit up at the words 'dress.' "Sure!"

Amy looked at Phoenix, and I could tell she felt sorry for him, too. "Okay."

"Madison? Reagan?" I asked, turning to the Holt girls.

They made faces, "No, thanks."

"We're doing it," I finally said. Hamilton opened his mouth to protest and I sent a death glare at him. He shut his mouth.

Natalie beamed, "Great!" She turned to the girls. "Oh, I'm going to have so much fun doing your makeup…and all that! I hope Fiske has supplied the place…" She giggled, and everyone looked at her weird. "What?" Natalie asked defensively.

"You're all…girly girl," Reagan looked horrified.

"And that surprises you because…?" Natalie tapped her dart gun.

"You're a Lucian and you have around ten hundred poisons on you at all times," Madison supplied. "We have a reason to think you won't be all girly girl."

"Remember the fact that I have ten hundred poisons on me at all times," Natalie said threateningly. "Now…Ian, make sure the boys don't look like peasants for this party…and I'm going to have fun with all of the girls." Natalie grabs Madison and Reagan's hands and hauled them out of the sitting room. "SINEAD! AMY! Come on!"

"Sinead…never say anything about dressing up in front of Natalie," Amy mumbled, walking out of the room.

I walk out behind her, not saying anything.

I wonder what Natalie will do to us…who knows? She's a Kabra, a Lucian, and a Cahill. And apparently a girly girl who has an unhealthy obsession with dressing up. Natalie will never change…

_Ted_

Ian coughed, "Um, we should do what Natalie says. You do not want to see my sister angry."

Jonah inspected the marks on his arms, "Is it less scary than you angry?"

Ian glared at Jonah, "You deserved it, you idiot Janus. And Dan…keep in mind that you don't _ever, _under no circumstances, want to see my sister angry."

Dan gulped.

Ian shrugged, "Should I help you get ready, Dan?" A mischievous look came across Ian's face. "I want to see my sister's face once I'm done with you." He grabs Dan's arm and drags him away, Dan screaming, "NOOOOO! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO TO ME?"

Ned and I looked at each other and then walked into an elevator. We're followed by Phoenix, Jonah, and Hamilton. We ride up to our suite in silence.

I opened the door, and all the guys file into the suite and into their rooms. I could hear Dan's screams coming from Ian's bedroom door.

Ned, Hamilton, Phoenix, Jonah, and I ignore the screams.

When you're a Cahill, this is part of your everyday life. Just a typical evening in the Cahill life-a really random game of Truth or Dare, a suggestion for a party no one wants to go to, and endless screaming.

Fun.

_Ned_

Ted and I walk into our room and shut the door, blocking out Dan's screams. I flop down on the bed, "Well…what should we wear to this party?" I asked, staring up at the ceiling.

Ted sits down on an armchair and plays with his hands. "I don't know and don't really care. Have the Ekaterinas invented some sort of machine that will pick out your own clothes for you yet?"

"Uh…no. We should, though," I replied, "Though it would probably be the most boring invention I have ever had to work on."

A long pause, and then I heard a shuffling noise. "Madison and Reagan's favourite colour is purple, right?" Ted was looking through his suitcase. "So…if I pair a purple t-shirt with, um, a black blazer and, um, really worn out jeans, would that work?"

"Do you honestly think Reagan will care about your appearance?" I asked, sitting up. "I don't really think so…did you see the looks on their faces when Natalie came and carted them off? They probably hate dressing up."

Ted paused, "True. The Holts will never become all girly girl, like Natalie. Never. Hey, what do you think of Dan and Natalie together?"

The thought of those two together still makes me want to burst out laughing. Honestly-the Shopping Queen and the Ninja Obsessed Kid? How is that a good match? I start laughing, and Ted stares at me weirdly. "You think they're a weird couple," he finally said.

"Doesn't everybody?" I asked, running my hands through my hair. "They're…ridiculous together, really."

Ted laughs and throws me something. "Why do you have this in your suitcase?" It's a rolled up piece of paper, and I unravel it. It's a picture of the Holts, and I had drawn a red circle around Madison. I turned red.

"What the heck? I don't remember ever having this picture! Honestly?" But I fold it up neatly and toss it back to Ted. "Back in my suitcase. And why are you looking through _my _suitcase?"

Ted laughed, "Oh, because I felt like it."

I turn to face Ted and roll my eyes at him.

Ted throws a t-shirt in my face and I pull it off, spluttering. "What was _that _for?"

"To tell you to get dressed. You want to look good for Madison, don't you?"

I walk over to Ted's suitcase and pull one of his shirts out of it. I throw it at him, "And you want to look good for Reagan."

Soon, we're throwing clothes at each other, calculating angles and everything, and Ted had fashioned some sort of clothes catapult out of a pillow and rubber band and pen, and I was hitting clothes at Ted with a pen that extended into a gigantic stake.

When the room was covered in clothes, I coughed. "Uh…maybe we should actually get dressed."

Ted looked down at the ground, looked up again, and nodded. "Yeah…"

We start looking through the piles of clothes on the ground, looking for something to wear.

_Hamilton_

Jonah pulls out a bottle of hair gel from his suitcase and starts sculpting his hair in front of a mirror. He throws the hair gel to me, "Maybe you'll like to try this on your hair."

"Try this gunk on my hair? No way," I said, throwing it back to him.

"You totally would, for Sinead," Jonah laughed and formed his hair into little spikes. Probably deciding he didn't like it, (good idea, because it made him look like a hedgehog was sitting on his head), he ruined it and squeezed more hair gel into his hand. "Dan tells me you were dead without her, during the scavenger hunt."

"When did _Dan _have time to talk to you?" I asked, sitting down on the bed.

"We text," Jonah replied.

"You text someone in the same building as you?"

"Yeah, because it's cool."

"O-_kay,_" I stand up and go over to Jonah's bed, where his suitcase is lying open. I wonder what kind of stuff Jonah Wizard keeps in his suitcase…I looked into it. In the suitcase is a bunch of letters. I pick one of the letters up and read it.

_Dear Wiz_

_I love your songs soooo much! You are soooooo awesome!_

Endless gushing about how awesome Jonah was by some random fan girl of his. It ended with-_Your Biggest Fan EVER, Miranda._ "Jonah, you keep fan letters in your suitcase?" I ask, and Jonah freezes in the middle of making his hair stand up like he's been electrocuted. What was with all these weird hairstyles he was trying…?

Jonah quickly turned around, "Why are you reading my private letters?"

"They're from fan girls. Really?"

"Look, it's nice to know I'm appreciated by _some _people," Jonah said, running his hands through his hair and ruining his current hairstyle. "Unlike you Cahills, who think nothing of being in my presence, there are girls out there who would die to have a chance to hear my voice live, talking to them."

"So you keep their obsessive letters to remind you that people out there like you?"

Jonah shrugged, "Well, yeah."

"You're weird," I toss the letter back into the suitcase.

"And you all forget I'm a worldwide celebrity," Jonah replied, "Celebrities are supposed to be a _little _weird. They do so to be interesting."

"Celebrities are weird," I said, now looking through my own suitcase for something to wear.

"Cahills are even weirder," Jonah shrugged, "And I'm both, so I have a perfect right to be weird."

"True, Jonah, true."

_Madison_

"OWWW! Natalie, are you trying to kill me?" I yell as Natalie pulls a hairbrush through my hair. I can smash bricks with my bare fist without screaming, walk over a bunch of nails without wincing-but I shriek when Natalie tries to comb my hair. Wow…

"No! Madison, your hair is just so tangled!" Natalie whined, pulling the brush through my hair. I wince.

All of the girls are gathered together in Natalie's room, and she's basically giving all of us a complete makeover. Amy's in the shower right now, and Sinead is getting ready to use the bathroom. Reagan has already finished taking a shower, and she's sitting on Natalie's bed, looking at Natalie combing my hair and wincing whenever I wince.

"Hold still," Natalie grumbled, running the brush through my hair again. "Your hair would look beautiful if you _tried._" She gave the hairbrush one last yank and finally stops torturing my hair. "There. Now…" she walks over to one of her many suitcases and looks through it. "This purple dress would fit you perfectly." She throws me a short purple dress with lots of ruffles at the skirt. "I bought it on a whim, but I decided I didn't like it. You can have it."

I inspect the dress. "It's so _girly._"

"You could be a _little _more girly, Madison, it's not going to kill you," Natalie replied. She pulled out her hair iron. "Do you want your hair straight, curled, or whatever?"

"Just…don't kill me," I winced as Natalie clamped a strand of my hair between the tongs of the hair iron. She expertly straightened my hair to perfection, and then turned off the hair iron, nodded at the dress, and told me to go put it on.

"It's still too girly," I complained, staring at the ruffles.

"Either this or you go in jeans. Reagan, come over here," Natalie motioned for Reagan to come over. She held up the hairbrush and Reagan recoiled.

"I'll go in jeans," I wrinkled my nose at the shiny purple fabric.

"Do you want to knock Ned out or what?" Natalie asked, pulling the hairbrush through Reagan's hair.

I paused, hand over the dress, considering. Then I yanked it off the bed and mumbled, "Fine, I'll put it on."

Natalie grinned, a smug grin, "That's what I thought."

_Reagan_

An hour later, Natalie had somehow managed to do all the girls' hair and get us in random dresses she had pulled out of her suitcase. _How _many dresses did she keep in there? Really? The dress she had given me was a light purple colour, and knee-length. She had straightened my hair and pinned it back with a bunch of purple clips, and given me a pair of purple stilettos, which I had refused.

Right now, Natalie was looking through her suitcase for a pair of shoes I _would _wear, and Sinead was twirling around for Amy. Sinead was wearing a long yellow dress that flowed around her almost like water, and her hair was done up in a fancy up-do. I have a feeling Hamilton would probably start drooling…

BAM! A purple flat hit me in the face and I pulled it off, spluttering. "What was _that _for?"

"Your purple flats," Natalie looks sheepish. "Uh…I sort of threw it over my shoulder without looking…so…sorry?"

Grumbling, I slipped on the purple flats. "I would prefer my ballet slippers…but I don't want to get them wrecked."

"Right, exactly," Natalie tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. She was dressed in a hot pink dress that went down to her knees, and her hair was done perfectly. Well, of course. She was Natalie Kabra. "So, are we all ready?"

"Once I learn how to walk in these without completely falling over," Amy indicated the strappy green stilettos Natalie had insisted she wore, "I'm ready." She stumbled over her feet and Sinead steadied her.

"No time to worry about that. My dear brother wouldn't care anyway. Let's go," Natalie opened the door and practically ran out of there. How she did that in stilettos…I'll never find out.

Amy and Sinead walked out behind her, and I turned to look at Madison, who was staring down at her dress. "Madison, you ready?"

"Yeah," she stood up and we walked out the door together.

A party. A party with the Wizards, Phoenix, Holts, Cahills, and Kabras.

What could _possibly _go wrong?

_Jonah_

Hamilton was wearing a shirt with the sleeves ripped off, a pair of dark jeans, and a leather jacket. He was all dressed-and I was still standing in front of my suitcase, wondering what to wear.

"Jonah, hurry up. You take longer than a girly girl to choose an outfit," Hamilton said, running his hands through his hair.

"Well, _excuse me _if I can't find anything that you guys won't make fun of to wear! I was in the middle of a tour when I was called to this island! I dress differently for my fans," My suitcase was filled with sequined jackets and bling…something the Cahills would _definitely _make fun of me for.

"What makes you think we'll make fun of it?" Hamilton grinned. "What do you have in there?" He came over and yanked a pair of sweatpants out of my suitcase. It had DA WIZ embedded in gold crystals all over it. Hamilton started laughing so hard he dropped the sweatpants.

I snatched them up, my face burning, "See, this is exactly what I mean!" I looked through my suitcase until I finally found a white button-down and a pair of jeans that wasn't embedded with crystals, shiny, sparkly, or had DA WIZ written on it somewhere.

I changed into them and Hamilton and I went downstairs.

Well. This party would be…interesting, to say the least.

_Phoenix_

I grabbed a guitar off the wall and started strumming it, thinking.

Maybe the party wasn't such a good idea, really. Based on what Jonah has told me about what the Cahills are like, having them go to a party together didn't really seem like a good idea.

But I wanted a party, so bad. I missed the life I had with Jonah-touring and everything. It was less exciting than this, but at least I could sleep in bed at night knowing that people weren't going to come and poison me or anything like that.

A party would be an awesome way to re-live the life I had with Jonah.

I strummed the guitar more and smiled. Music always made me happy-I guess it was because of the Janus serum in my blood. Janus, Lucian, Madrigal, Ekaterina, Tomas.

Let the party begin.

-End-

**A/N: The party shall begin next chapter, which I shall begin typing up now. I am busy tomorrow, so I probably won't post anything…so, yeah. **

**Oh, and TheUnoStyle? I updated! DON'T SUE ME! DON'T START A REBELLION! PLEASE! **

**Ahem…all right. What else do I have to tell you guys? Oh, yeah, the one-shot. For the one-shot, most of you want Amian. So I shall write something Amian. But don't worry-I'll write something for Natan, Hamnead, Teagan/Nedison, and all that stuff you guys want…sometime. Okay?**

**Oh, and random question of the day: IF I decide to discontinue this fanfic…what would you guys do? **

**Review and tell me your answer…and be expecting an Amian fanfic sometime soon, okay? Don't forget to REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW AND REVIEW!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here's another chapter! I personally like the beginning of the chapter a lot…**

**For all of you people who requested an Amian fic, it's up. It's called 'Coffee,' and it's Amian, of course ;) So, go and read it, everybody! And review! And now, I will stop my useless author's note and let you read-**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: There's nobody to do the disclaimer. Nobody! Natalie is out shopping, Ian and Amy are out who-knows-where, same with Hamilton and Sinead, Ted and Ned are in their lab blowing up stuff, Madison and Reagan are training, Jonah and Phoenix are on tour, and Dan would probably kill me if I interrupt his video game marathon…so, yeah. I'm going to do the disclaimer by myself! **

**Dream. Love. Smile does not own the 39 Clues or any company/person/song she may have mentioned in this story. **

**Now…read on!**

_Amy_

_Click. Click. Click. _The strappy green stilettos Natalie had made me wear with the jade green dress she had pulled out of her suitcase clicked against the floor as I walked toward the sitting room.

Natalie had curled my hair and it was now cascading down my back in a mass of red curls. She had outlined my eyes with some sort of eye makeup, too, and that brought them out. The short green dress that reached down to my knees matched the green stilettos and my eyes perfectly, and Sinead had told me I looked fabulous and that Ian would start drooling.

Ha…as much as I would like to see that happen, I knew the great Ian Kabra would never drool. I looked over at Sinead. She was wearing a long yellow dress and a pair of yellow heels, and her auburn hair was pinned up and curly wisps framed her face. She looked perfect and gorgeous-I was sure Hamilton would probably start drooling. Unlike Kabras, Holts actually drooled.

I looked behind me at Madison and Reagan. Their blond hair was straight and they were both wearing purple dresses. They looked really pretty, but they also both looked very awkward in the dresses. Of course. Holts were probably not used to wearing dresses-they were probably used to baggy t-shirts and sweats and all that.

Natalie led all of us, looking perfectly in place in her hot pink dress, her hair perfect. I laughed silently as I imagined Dan's face when he saw her.

We all stepped into the sitting room and I saw that it had been transformed by the boys. A bunch of food was set out on the coffee table, along with a bottle of wine. Phoenix was strumming the guitar and talking to Jonah, who was holding a glass of something. Hamilton and Dan were standing by the coffee table eating. There were soft lights strung all along the ceiling, and the normal lights had been dimmed. Outside of the large windows looking over the sea, the sun was setting, casting a glow over the sitting room. It had a magical, open feel.

Ian, Ned, and Ted were standing by the windows, holding glasses of something. They were talking quietly and Ned and Ted were even laughing once in a while.

Amazing. All the guys were in one room and it was in one piece, civil, peaceful, and even _quiet. _Fiske would've been proud to know his plan was working.

I went over to the coffee table and pick up a glass. Then I looked at all the bottles lined up on the table.

Hamilton spotted me and picked one of the bottles up. "Here…this is just Coke in a fancy bottle. Would you like some?"

"Yes, please," I held out my glass and Hamilton unscrewed the cap of the glass bottle and poured some Coke into my cup. "Thank you." I look at Hamilton and see that his eyes are darting around the room. Probably looking for Sinead.

I laugh, "Sinead's over by the door. That is…if you're looking for her," when Hamilton turned red, and grinned and walked over to Ian, Ted, and Ned. "Am I interrupting?" I asked, taking a sip of the Coke.

Ian turned and when he saw me, raised his eyebrows. "You look beautiful tonight, love. Beautiful."

Ted and Ned speed off, probably going to look for Madison and Reagan. I turn to the view outside the windows, and Ian does, too. I sip more of my Coke, "Did you dress Dan up? Is he even dressed up?" I watch as the clouds slowly turn from orange to pink and then slowly melt into the sky and fade away.

"Yes…as a matter of fact, I did. I just wanted to see Natalie's expression…" Ian laughed, and I did, too.

"Yeah, Natalie's in a really pretty dress. I'm pretty sure Dan would be rendered speechless for a little while. What did you do to Dan?"

"Nothing, really. I just chose something for him to wear."

"That's what Natalie did to me. She did my hair, too," I said, as the sky turned dark and stars started to become visible.

Ian turned to look at me. "Let me see," he said, his voice laced with that familiar British accent that made me want to melt.

I turned to face him, and he reached out and touched my face. He tucked a red curl behind my ear and smiled. "Natalie did a good job. You look absolutely beautiful. But she didn't have to do all this. You would've looked beautiful either way."

I blushed, and Ian laughed and raised the glass he was holding to his lips. He drank, raising an eyebrow at me over the rim of his cup, and I blushed even redder.

When I had finally returned back to my normal shade, I drank some Coke and mumbled, "Do you do this to a lot of other girls?"

Ian just laughed again and said, "I've never really meant it when I said it to other girls. You're special."

_I'm special to Ian Kabra. I'm actually special._

_Dan_

I run my fingers through my hair and look down at what I was wearing. A white t-shirt with a random design on it, a black vest, and worn-out jeans. My hair was pretty much messed up and I was holding a glass of Pepsi and talking to Hamilton. Then Amy came over, Hamilton started talking to her, and I wandered around the living room after that.

Ian had dragged me into his room and had picked out an outfit for me and suggested a random brand of hair gel. Use hair gel on my hair? No, thanks. Not even for Natalie.

Someone tapped my shoulder and I turned around. And had to work hard to keep my mouth from falling open.

Natalie was standing there, wearing a hot pink dress and high heels. Her hair was perfect, and she looked so…perfect. I opened my mouth, and a bunch of incoherent speech came out. Natalie stared at me weirdly. "Hi, Dan."

I closed my mouth and finally was able to come up with a coherent phrase. "Hi, Natalie. You look…awesome."

Natalie giggled. "You don't look too bad yourself. Good enough to be standing next to me, at least."

I had to roll my eyes, "Once a Kabra, always a Kabra."

Natalie rolled her eyes at me, "Oh, and like you'll ever stop liking those…ninjas."

"Ninjas rock! Ninjas are awesome! I am the NINJA MASTER! You cannot insult NINJAS, they will release their FURY on you!" I started my 'ninjas are awesome,' rant that always made Amy roll her eyes and sigh. "NINJAS can beat you in SO many things! They are SO incredibly-."

Natalie cut me off by leaning forward and kissing me. When she pulled away, I felt like my head had been stuffed with cotton. When I finally recovered, I grumbled, "You cut off my ninja rant! Like shopping is better than ninjas…"

At this Natalie gasped dramatically. "Shopping is TOTALLY better than those NINJA THINGS! Shopping is the best thing in the WORLD! How dare you not think it is the best thing in the world? A place without shopping is a place that has no CIVILAZATION! Shopping is so important; it can be considered an important feature of CIVILAZATION! You know-."

This time, it was me who leaned forward and cut her off with a kiss. I pulled away after a while and Natalie sighed. "We're even. I cut off your ninja rant; you cut off my shopping speech."

I grinned, "Glad you think so," I offered her my glass of Pepsi. "Want some Pepsi?"

Natalie took the glass from me and drained the Pepsi in one gulp. It was one of those fancy glasses you use for wine, since they were the only glasses Jonah had dug up in our kitchen, and Natalie held it delicately and perfectly. She was probably raised on that…

"You drank all my Pepsi," I protested, looking at the empty glass.

Natalie handed the glass back to me and walked over to the coffee table. I followed her, and watched as she picked up the bottle of wine and pulled the cork out. "Have you ever had wine?"

"No. Amy never let me," I said, as Natalie poured a little bit of wine into my glass.

"Try it," Natalie said, "Anyways…it's not that much. Just a little bit." She poured some for herself, too, and then put the bottle back, placing it perfectly the way it was before. "Nobody would notice, the shade's exactly like Coke."

I looked at her, my eyes wide, "You _are _cunning."

"Dan, I'm a Lucian. Lucians are cunning," Natalie smiled and raised her glass. I clink mine gently against hers.

"To Lucians," I whisper, and Natalie smiles.

"…and Madrigals," Natalie adds.

Then we drink.

_Ian_

Amy and I walk over to the coffee table. I look around. Natalie and Dan are standing by the coffee table, sipping their drinks and eating crab cakes. The Starling boys and the Holt twins are standing by Phoenix and Jonah. Jonah's climbing up on a ladder and hanging a disco ball on the roof, and Phoenix is hooking his iPod up to a bunch of amplifiers. Hamilton and Sinead are in a corner of the room, talking quietly to each other.

I turned back to Amy, and had to catch my breath again. She really did look stunning, her hair curled and wearing that dress that made her jade green eyes stand out. And her jade green eyes were as always, mesmerizing, amazing, beautiful-

"YOU'LL FIND US CHASING THE SUN, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH, OH!" A song blasted out of Phoenix's amplifiers and I almost dropped my glass. The song shook the coffee table and practically the whole room. Amy's glass was shaking in her hand, and looked like it was about to break.

Jonah jumped on top of one of the amplifiers, which was vibrating super-hard, hooked a microphone up to the amplifier, and screamed into the microphone. "THIS PARTY IS TOO BORING FOR US CAHILLS! LET'S LIVEN IT UP! WHOOOOOOOO!"

The whole room shook at Jonah's shriek and Amy covered her ears. Phoenix plugged an electric guitar into an amplifier and strummed it. The sound vibrated throughout the room. Then Jonah put on another song and started singing along to it. "YOU CAN BE MY IT GIRL…"

The disco ball starts whirring and turning at irregular intervals, sending sparks of light flying everywhere. Jonah and Phoenix started 'dancing,' writhing and turning around like crazy, as Jonah sang and Phoenix strummed a guitar.

Is this what people did for enjoyment these days? How is this deafening music better than sitting in my room, drinking a cup of hot chocolate and listening to slow music? At least that was calm…but Cahills weren't calm. Not in the least bit.

Amy was laughing, and I turned to her and raised my eyebrows. She mouthed, _might as well make the best of it,_ to me, and I shrugged.

_Might as well make the best of it._ I grab Amy, lift her up in the air, and spin her around, and she laughed, though the music drowned out any sound.

_Natalie_

Dan stuffed the crab cake in his mouth and said something, but I couldn't hear it because the music was drowning out everything. If it could even be called music…the sound of it made my teeth chatter.

I bite my crab cake daintily, and then Dan grabs my hand and drags me out to beside the amplifiers, where the music was playing the loudest. "OH, TONIGHT! GIVE ME EVERYTHING TONIGHT!" Jonah sang along to the music.

I covered my ears and screamed, even though nobody could hear me, "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING, DAN?"

Dan starts dancing. "COME ON, NATALIE!" He yelled. I read his lips. "LET'S DANCE!"

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" I shook my head, but Dan grabbed my arm and started spinning me around. Soon, he had got me to start dancing.

"OH, OH, OH!" Jonah suddenly turned off the music, and everything was quiet. Everyone stared up at him. The silence was relief to my ears…

"I have an idea!" Phoenix jumped up on top of the amplifier Jonah was standing on, and knocked Jonah off the amplifier and the microphone out of Jonah's hands. "Let's do KARAOKE!"

Everyone stared at Phoenix blankly. Finally, Ian cleared his throat. "Karaoke?"

"Yes!" Jonah grabbed the microphone from Phoenix, "Karaoke! And since you said something, Ian, you're going first!" Jonah ran over to Ian, pulled him up into the middle of the circle of amplifiers, and shoved the microphone into his hand. Phoenix pulled Ian up to stand on an amplifier, and Ian stared at the microphone in his hand, a horrified expression on his face.

I laughed, and so did Dan. Amy was watching curiously, as was everyone else. Jonah turned on a song. "Here, Ian, sing this!"

A song started pumping out of the amplifiers and Ian started singing, because everyone was staring at him. When he got to the part of the song-the chorus, I suppose-Amy's ears perked up. Ian was staring right at her when he sang it.

"'_Cuz when the roof caved in and the truth came out_

_I just didn't know what to do_

_And when I become a star _

_We'll be living so large_

_I'll do anything for you…"_

The lights that had been strung up on the walls dimmed and then started flashing different colours, casting multi-coloured spotlights onto Ian.

Well, Ian Kabra singing a peasant song in front of everybody. Never thought the day would ever come.

Then again, anything could happen at a Cahill Reunion.

_Sinead_

When Ian was done singing, everyone was silent. Then Amy started clapping, and I did, too, and soon everyone was clapping. Ian really did have a pretty nice voice…

I walked over to the coffee table and grabbed a crab cake. I bit into it.

Hamilton came over to me, "Sinead…Jonah wants to know if…" he grabbed my hand and just then, music came blasting out of the amplifiers, startling me into throwing the crab cake in the air. It flew in the air and landed on Dan's head.

Dan reached up to touch the crab cake on his head, his face horrified. He turned to me, and his expression was angry. "Oh, so that's what you want to do? A FOOD FIGHT!" He ran over to the refreshments table, grabbed a tray of cookies, and started throwing them at Hamilton and me.

Hamilton grabbed a box of chocolates and popped a chocolate in his mouth, then threw one at Dan. "NATALIE! COME OVER HERE AND HELP ME!" Dan yelled, shooting cookies at Hamilton and I at a surprisingly fast speed.

Natalie ran over, grabbed a plate of cupcakes, and started throwing them at Hamilton. "STOP THROWING THOSE CHOCOLATES AT DAN!" Hamilton threw a chocolate at her, and she caught it and handed it to Dan.

Dan popped the chocolate in his mouth, "Thank you." He grinned at Natalie and started pelting me with cookies. I started screaming. Then I grabbed a coconut cream pie from the coffee table and threw it at Dan. It landed right in his face, and Hamilton grinned at me.

"Awesome! You have wicked aim!" Hamilton grinned, tossing another chocolate at Natalie.

"Thought you might've noticed it, with all the food fights we had when we were little," I grabbed another pie from the table and threw it at Dan. At the last minute he darted away. He was still licking the pie from his face, and the pie landed on Ian's head, making his hair all white and coconut cream-y.

Ian glared at me, "So that's how you want to play," He darted over to the coffee table and grabbed two plates of cupcakes. He stacked them up and started hurling cupcakes at Hamilton and me.

"MADISON! REAGAN! GET OVER HERE AND SHOW THEM WHAT A TOMAS CAN DO!" Hamilton yelled, plucking cupcakes off his shirt.

Madison and Reagan came over, with Ted and Ned. I turned to Ted and Ned, "Catapult. Stat," I said to them, and Ted and Ned started grabbing empty plates and trays and started building a makeshift catapult out of it. They start catapulting food at Dan, Natalie, and Ian.

"AMY!" Ian yelled, and Amy walked over to Ian. She pulled off her stilettos and threw them aside. Then she grabbed some of Ian's cupcakes and started hurling them at Ted and Ned.

Jonah started playing some sort of really weird dramatic music, and then he and Phoenix came over and started throwing food at us, too, Jonah singing all the way.

Cahills in a food fight, and we have music in the background, a catapult made out of trays, and all that. We can never be normal, can we?

_Ted_

I pulled back the tray and let the pie fly at Amy. It hit her arm, and she pulled it off, a disgusted look on her face. Natalie was loading her dart gun with chocolates, and now she was shooting them at Sinead and Hamilton.

Food was flying everywhere, and so were plates and wine glasses and bottles and _everything._ I catapulted another pie in the direction of Ian. In the background, the dramatic music Jonah had started playing went down an octave.

I saw Dan twirl a box of something in the air, and then he threw it at Ned. It hit his head and burst open, and a scattering of biscuits scattered across his face. Natalie shot an endless stream of chocolates at me, and Ned and I continued catapulting pies. Cherry, apple, coconut cream…

The music accelerated, and so did the food throwing. The air was thick with flying pies, chocolate, cake, cupcakes, crab cakes, cucumbers, fruit, vegetables, and everything you could possibly think of.

Everyone was at least covered with _some _kind of food, and we were still throwing food at each other. I winced as a bunch of vegetable dip hit me on the forehead and dripped down. I wiped it off and kept on catapulting pies.

Natalie held out her dart gun and kept on shooting chocolates.

Ned and I kept on catapulting pies.

Sinead and Hamilton kept on throwing random food.

Madison and Reagan kept on doing whatever they were doing.

Jonah's dramatic music kept on playing in the background.

_Ned_

A whole platter of vegetables splattered all over my shirt, and I looked up to see who had thrown it. It was really hard to see now. You could hear sounds of impact everywhere, screams, shattering of the wine glasses and plates that were being thrown, and Jonah's dramatic music.

Amy was holding out two bottles of Coke and Pepsi, squirting streams of soda toward everyone. The Coke and Pepsi went all over Madison and Reagan, and I directed a pie toward Amy. "DON'T DO ANYTHING TO MADISON!"

"SINEAD!" Ian yelled, throwing a cake at Sinead. "HERE'S PAYBACK!"

"AHHHHHH!" Hamilton let out a battle cry and he sent five boxes of cookies flying at Natalie. When they hit her, Dan went in a rage, shoved a bunch of Skittles in his mouth, and then lunged at Hamilton.

Dan knocked Hamilton down on the floor and started pounding him with pies and cakes and vegetables. "YOU DON'T DARE TOUCH NATALIE, YOU GOT IT? NO THROWING ANYTHING AT HER, YOU GOT IT? HAVE YOU GOT IT?"

Jonah was singing at the top of his lungs, "I'M ON FIRE, FIRE, FIRE, FIRE TONIGHT! I'M ON FIRE BABY BURNING UP, I'M ON FIRE BABY BURNING UP!" While throwing bottles of Coke at Sinead and Ted.

A fruit platter hit my face and I groaned.

This food fight was turning into a full on food war…

_Hamilton_

Dan was hitting me with everything he could get his hands on. "DON'T THROW ANYTHING AT NATALIE AGAIN!" _Crash._ A wine glass broke against my hand. "YOU HEAR ME?" A bunch of cookies. "GOT IT?" Pie in my face. "OKAY?" Whipped cream sprayed in my hair.

"Cool it," I said, shoving Dan off me. "Calm down…"

Dan looked at me, his eyes glinting. His hair was full of whipped cream, there was coconut pie and cherry pie all over his face, and he had that sugar rush look to him. No wonder he was going all crazy…didn't he swallow a bunch of Skittles before tackling me? Oh, Dan and your Skittles…

There was a minor chord that hung in the air, and then Jonah's dramatic music stopped. And the food throwing stopped, too. Wow…it almost seems we've been throwing in time to the dramatic music Jonah had put on…

I looked down at myself. I was covered all over in all the different types of food that had been throwing around, and my shirt was covered with dip and all that.

Everyone was looking around the sitting room, which, honestly, was a complete mess. The girls were looking down at their dresses, which basically weren't even their original colour anymore. The white couches had been stained, the coffee table was covered all over with trays, the carpet had glass shards embedded into it, and there was liquid all over the floor and food everywhere. The lights that had been hung up were still flickering weakly. There were broken wine glasses all over the floor and EVERYTHING had been stained with food.

Well, what did you expect from a Cahill party? For it to be all fun and games? Leave it to Cahills to be able to go from a civil, quiet party to loud karaoke to a full on food war to a destroyed living room. I pick up a ripped apart pillow used as a shield against wine glasses.

Sinead coughed, looking down at her now very colourful yellow dress. "Maybe we should clean this up…Ted, Ned, do you still have that stain remover liquid?"

Ned and Ted pulled bottles out of their pockets and started pouring the contents of the bottles on the stained couches and cushions.

I started clearing the coffee table. Dan started picking glass shards out of the carpet. Madison and Reagan and Sinead started picking up the fragments of the broken plates and wine glasses and throwing them away. Jonah and Phoenix started cleaning up the pieces of food that were scattered everywhere.

The Kabras watched on, disgusted that they were expected to clean.

I almost laughed. Like Dan and Amy said-once a Kabra, always a Kabra.

_Madison_

I picked up a part of a broken plate and tossed it into the garbage can. I turned to Reagan, "Do you think Fiske is monitoring us? If he is…I don't think he'll be very happy to see this mess."

Reagan tossed a bunch of glass shards into the garbage can. They landed there with a flurry of _clink, clink, clink._ She shrugged and brushed some food off her dress, "Well…we're Cahills. He would've probably expected something like this was going to happen."

"Oh, like us practically painting the living room in food," I looked at the carrot bits stuck in the ruffles of the purple dress and brushed them out. "And using a dart gun to shoot chocolates. And making a catapult out of plates and trays. And making glass shatter using music. Of course he would expect that…"

Reagan sighed, "I don't know, okay? But we can probably get it back to normal."

And so we kept cleaning.

_Reagan_

At around eleven o'clock p.m., the living room was more or less back to normal, thanks to Ted and Ned's stain remover thing and Dan's photographic memory. And, also because everyone had cleaned. Even the Kabras did, at some point, with convincing from Amy and Dan. We all slumped down on the now clean couches and I stared up at the ceiling.

Ted sat down next to me and draped his arm over my shoulder. "How are you?"

I leaned into him and mumbled, "Exhausted. And I know I sound like Natalie when I say this, and very un-Tomas like, but my dress is ruined."

Ted laughed silently. "I never thought Reagan Holt would ever say, 'my dress is ruined.'"

"Hey, I'm not upset about it," I said, and Ted laughed again.

Jonah walked out of the room and came back holding a bottle of wine. "Wine, anyone?"

"Keep that away from Phoenix," Amy said, but her voice was soft and she sounded tired.

"Of course I will…if I don't, you and Sinead will come up with some way to kill me. Wine for people over sixteen?" Jonah asked, waving the bottle around.

I saw Dan wrap his arms around Natalie and Natalie yawn loudly, (well, loudly for a Kabra). "How are you so…alert, still?" Natalie asked Jonah.

Jonah laughed, "I stay up 24/7 going to parties, Natalie. I'm totally used to this! It's only eleven o'clock, people, the night's still young!"

Sinead yawned, "Jonah…it's almost morning."

Jonah laughed and took a swig from the bottle. "Night's still young! Morning's almost here! When morning comes, we party until dawn!"

"Has Jonah gone crazy?" I asked Ted, and he thought for a moment.

"Mm…probably he just drank a lot of wine on the way down." Ted shrugged, "Jonah…well, he likes wild parties and creativity. He's a Janus-and a celebrity, so, yeah."

"Yeah…" I said, staring at Jonah, who had plugged earphones in his ears and was now dancing and yelling out songs. "He probably got on a minor sugar rush. I saw him eating chocolates while we were cleaning up."

"Fun…" Ted said, staring at Jonah. Everyone was also staring at him blankly, watching him dancing and shaking his hips and everything.

Dan looked over at the coffee table, where two boxes of chocolate that had been spared from the food war sat. He grabbed a box and tossed a chocolate to Natalie. She caught it and popped it into her mouth. Then Dan started throwing chocolates all around the room.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU _DOING, _DAN?" Amy yelled, as Dan sent a chocolate flying toward her.

"I'm practicing my ninja star throwing skills! With chocolate…" Dan replied, sending a chocolate toward Ted.

He caught it and offered it to me. I took it, grinning.

Dan was still throwing chocolate around the room. Sinead sighed loudly, "DAN! ARE YOU STILL NOT OVER NINJAS? AND STOP THAT! WE DON'T NEED ANOTHER FOOD FIGHT!" She yelled. "NINJAS ARE STUPID! STOP TRYING TO BE LIKE THEM!"

Dan stopped throwing chocolates and turned to Sinead, his face burning. "Did you just say-NINJAS ARE _STUPID?_"

Sinead nodded, and Dan narrowed his eyes. "Oh, so ninjas are _stupid, _are they? You know what's stupid? Books are stupid. Libraries are stupid. _You're _stupid!"

Sinead gasped and stood up. "Did you just call me STUPID? I'm an _Ekaterina,_ you ninja-obsessed boy! Do you know what Ekaterinas have? Knowledge and smarts _in their blood!_ Literally! And what are you? A useless Madrigal without any serum in your blood? Amy's smart…but _you?_ You're just a guy who's unhealthily obsessed with ninjas and video games!"

Natalie jumped up. "DID YOU JUST INSULT DAN? You…Ekaterina! You've always been stuck up and snobby and a know it all! All Ekaterinas are like that!"

I felt Ted stiffen beside me, and Madison, Hamilton, and I stood up at the same time.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU LUCIAN?" Hamilton yelled at Natalie. "Stuck up and snobby? Take a look at yourself! Who's stuck up and snobby?"

Ian stood up, "Stuck up and snobby? Well, at least we have brains, unlike you, Tomas."

Jonah started singing a random song and Amy held her head in her hands. "JONAH! STOP SINGING! YOU JANUS HAVE AN OBSESSION WITH MUSIC! IT'S GIVING ME A HEADACHE!"

Jonah pulled his earphones out. "What is _wrong _with you, Amy? You're usually so _Madrigal _and so goody-two-shoes! Why are you screaming at people now? Has Ian rubbed off on you?"

At this Ian and Amy turned on Jonah and started yelling at him, and Phoenix started trying to defend Jonah.

Well…first karaoke, and then a food war, and then a mass argument.

Oh, how fun Cahill parties are.

_Jonah_

Amy and Ian turned on me and I knew immediately I had said the wrong thing.

Ian started shouting, "YOU JANUS ARE SO FULL OF YOURSELF! YOU THINK YOU'RE THE BEST AND SO POPULAR AND OH SO COOL BECAUSE YOU'RE A CELEBRITY AND A _JANUS!_"

Phoenix had ran over at that and yelled, "I AM NOT FULL OF MYSELF!"

"I BEG TO DIFFER, LITTLE BOY!" Ian yelled back.

Amy looked insulted. "Goody two shoes? _Goody two shoes?_ Is that what you think of me, Jonah? A GOODY TWO SHOES? Well, if I weren't like this, the personality you call, 'goody two shoes,' you wouldn't want to see me! I could kill you in two seconds! With help from Ian's poisons…but I can still knock you out! And what do you mean by all 'Madrigal?'"

I held out my hands, "Amy…"

"I WOULD beat you up but I think you've suffered enough, haven't you?" Amy narrowed her eyes. "I mean, you got an overdose of poisons from Ian, almost got killed by Hamilton _three _times, been threatened by one of Dan's sugar rushes, and I bet Ned and Ted have scrutinized you and found out all of your weaknesses!"

I bit my lip, "Uh…yeah. The boys have tried to kill me a lot…"

Amy held out her hand and it travelled to my neck. "Uh, Amy?" I asked, as her hand grazed the side of my neck. "What are you doing? Stop it! Ian's going to kill me if he sees…" Thankfully, Ian was currently engrossed in an argument with Phoenix about Phoenix's age.

Amy's hands find the pressure point in my neck. She pressed-and everything went black.

_Phoenix_

There was a thud from beside me, and I turned around to see Jonah passed out on the ground and Amy brushing her hands off, a satisfied smile on her face.

Ian walked over to Amy. "Good job, love. What did you do to him?"

"Pressure point," Amy replied. "He was annoying me…"

I walked over to Jonah's unconscious form and bent over him. "JONAH! Wake up!"

No response.

"JONAHHHH!" I yelled, louder this time. It stopped all the fighting in the living room.

Everyone turned to see what I was doing, and when Sinead caught sight of Jonah, she clapped her hand to her mouth. Then she removed it and said, "Who…did that?"

"Me," Amy said, blushing. She looked sheepish now. "Maybe I shouldn't have done it…but he was being so annoying, talking and talking, and under all the words were the same message-_you are weak. I can beat you._"

"Wow…Amy…" Dan looked somewhat impressed, and Natalie was smiling. How could they be _smiling?_ Jonah was _unconscious _here!

"HELLO! I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE NOTICED, BUT JONAH'S UNCONSCIOUS!" I yelled, and Hamilton turned to look at me. He shrugged.

"Oh…" One of the Starling boys said.

"…he'll recover," the other finished.

"WHAT? WHEN?" I yelled.

The Holt twins shrugged and said simultaneously, "Eventually."

"HOW CAN YOU NOT CARE?" I screamed, shaking Jonah. He doesn't respond.

Natalie inspected her nails. "Oh, he'll recover eventually. Really he will. It's fine. Cahills are always getting knocked out," she said indifferently, and I stared at her, wondering if she was mad. Always getting knocked out? How could they not care about an unconscious person? How could this be normal for them?

"It's nice to have him quiet for once," Sinead commented, and everyone nodded and murmured agreement.

Really? REALLY? Jonah was knocked out and NOBODY cared?

"How can you be so indifferent?" I asked, staring at the unconscious form of Jonah.

Amy looked at me, and I saw kindness in her eyes. "Phoenix…the Cahill world is like this. Scarier, even. So everyone is used to it-people getting knocked out, people getting sent to hospital, all that. I suggest that if you want to stop getting so freaked out…get used to it." Her voice was gentle and kind and I could hardly believe she was the one that had knocked Jonah out. Then she took Ian's arm and they both walked out of the room.

Everyone filed out after that, and I'm left standing there, bending over Jonah's unconscious body.

-End-

**A/N: Another chapter done! We're at Chapter Fifteen already? Wow…I'm shocked…**

**And I sure like beating Jonah up, don't I? I'm so nice to Jonah…**

**Review, please! And tell me how the 'Party Chapter,' went! And to tell me what you think about this story! And to give requests on what to write for the next chapter, because I honestly don't know yet. So review, request things for the next chapter, suggest things for the next chapter-and who knows? Maybe your idea will get chosen ;) So REVIEW! **


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I have written another chapter because I was reading through my reviews for inspiration! And I got inspiration…this idea was sparked by one of my anonymous reviewers, Sadie H. Thank you ;)**

**And to my anonymous reviewer or something along the lines of that, (whoops, forgot your name…sorry), I love your DIVERGENT idea! I love the book Divergent! But I need to get my hands on Insurgent. I haven't read it yet… :(**

**And to Candyloversunite15, your ideas, are, as always, awesome. Read on, everyone, read on.**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: I declare this chapter officially DISCLAIMED!**

***half-hearted cheering and clapping in the background, bored yawns***

**Me: …well, I guess nobody wants to hear my disclaimers. Ah, well. On with the story!**

_Amy_

The next morning, I woke up to sun shining through the windows. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table separating Sinead's bed and my bed. _Seven o'clock in the morning!_ Stupid sun…why did it have to rise so early? I sat up in bed, rubbed my eyes, and groaned.

Sinead was lying on her side, shielding her eyes from the sun, "Stupid sun…why do you have to shine so early?" She groaned, voicing my exact thoughts. "What time is it?"

"Seven in the morning," I replied, covering my eyes with a pillow. I spoke into the pillow and it muffled my voice. "Way too early to be waking up, after what happened last night…"

We had stayed up until midnight downstairs, cleaning and arguing after the 'party,' that Phoenix and Jonah had created. Then Sinead had gone off with Hamilton somewhere, and Ian and I had went up to the seventh floor and talked for a while. When Sinead and I got back up to our room and were ready to go to sleep, we talked for another two hours. We went to sleep at two o'clock-which wasn't the best idea, because _apparently _Mister Sun has decided we need to wake up early!

I crawl out of bed and yawn loudly. "Might as well get ready for the day. I won't be able to go to sleep with all the sunlight shining through the window…"

Sinead got out of bed and stretched. "I guess so."

We went into the bathroom and brushed our teeth, washed our faces, combed our hair, blah, blah, blah. When we were done with all that, Sinead and I started rummaging through our suitcases looking for something to wear.

Sinead pulled her hair back in a ponytail and yawned. "I hate the sun, even though half my inventions run on solar power."

I smile weakly, "I bet nobody's awake. Let's go downstairs and see what Fiske has planned for us today in that notebook of his."

"All right, since we have nothing better to do," Sinead straightened the purple t-shirt she was wearing, (no doubt for Hamilton's benefit), and we went downstairs. The sitting room is empty and deserted, and the only trace that the party last night had left are the amplifiers arranged in a circle on the floor. Despite everything that had went on around it, the notebook is still sitting on the coffee table, looking like it had been thrown around and beaten up a few times, but nevertheless intact.

Sinead and I sank down in beanbag chairs and I reach out to grab the notebook. I open it and flip to the page with today's date written on the top.

_On the second floor you will find a kitchen. It will be one large kitchen. On the kitchen counter are five vials. Drink the one with your name on it. _

I read what it said on the page. Five vials…I threw the notebook to Sinead and she read the three sentences on the page and narrowed her eyes. "Fiske should really try being more detailed and telling us what's going to happen," she said, closing the notebook and tossing it back onto the coffee table.

"He really should. It won't feel as…ominous." I replied, looking out the large windows in the sitting room at the sea view.

"What feels _ominous?_" Ian asked, walking into the sitting room with Jonah and Hamilton.

"What are you guys doing up?" Sinead asked, and I nodded.

"The sun woke us up," Hamilton said, nodding toward the sun, which was already shining brightly outside, despite it only being a little past seven in the morning.

"OH MISTER-SUN, SUN, MISTER SUNNY SUN, PLEASE SHINE DOWN ON ME…" Jonah sang, and we all turned to look at him.

"Shut up, Jonah," Hamilton, Ian, Sinead, and I said in unison, and Jonah closed his mouth, looking injured.

"Oh, come on! Nobody cares about me! Phoenix informed me that last night, Amy knocked me out and you all left me in the living room alone with Phoenix!" Jonah whined, and Amy and I both laughed.

Ian coughed, "Perhaps if you were more likable…"

"Likable?" Jonah exclaimed. "I AM likable! I am DA WIZ! I have girls over the world practically FALLING AT MY FEET!"

"And so do I," Ian replied with a smirk.

I raised my eyebrows at him and he hastily added, "But I don't really care about any of them except Amy."

"I do not fall at your feet!" I protested.

Ian grinned, "And that is what I love about you, love."

"Start your love-fest later," Hamilton interrupted. "Now…what did Amy say was 'ominous'?" He did finger quotes around the word 'ominous.'

"This," Sinead went over to the coffee table, picked up the notebook, and threw it at Hamilton. He read the page with today's date on top of it, his brow furrowing.

"Yeah, this is ominous. And weird…and a little suspicious," Hamilton finally said. He tossed the notebook to Ian and he caught it with one hand. Ian read the page.

When he was finished, he raised his eyebrows. "Well…that is just about as weird as 'press the blue rose on a painting.'" Ian handed Jonah the notebook and Jonah read it, too.

"This is no longer out of character. He's done this so many times…" Jonah said, closing the notebook and staring at its battered cover.

The sharp click of high heels echoed through the room and all of us turned to look at the entrance of the sitting room. Natalie and Dan walked inside. Natalie turned to Jonah, "What is out of character, Janus?"

In reply, he tossed the notebook to Natalie. Dan caught it and flipped it open. "Oh…okay…" he finally said, after processing the page. "Wow."

"What do you think this means?" I asked, and all seven of us stare at each other, answerless.

_Dan_

When Madison, Reagan, Ted, Ned, and Phoenix finally woke up and came down to the living room, they all read the page and tried to make some sense of it and tried to predict what Fiske was planning to do to us.

It failed. No one could figure out or predict what Fiske could possibly have inside the vials we were supposed to drink-so eventually we just decided to go up to the second floor and see for ourselves.

The second floor was one gigantic kitchen with all the Ekaterina kitchen technology, plants lining the floor to ceiling windows, and food stocking the fridge and everything.

"Do you think Fiske has any Skittles? Or chips? Or soda?" I dart toward the fridge and opened it. What I saw made my mouth drop open.

IT WAS A LAND OF ICE CREAM AND POPSICLES AND SODA! ALL CRAMMED INTO ONE FRIDGE! AND THERE WERE FROZEN CHOCOLATE SKITTLES! THEY ACTUALLY EXIST!

I grab a bag of frozen chocolate Skittles and eagerly opened it. The candy inside made my mouth water…I reached out and scooped out a handful, but before I could pop it into my mouth, Amy saw and yanked the bag of Skittles away from me. The candy in my hand dropped onto the floor, and my eyes grew wide. "AMYYYYY! THOSE WERE FROZEN CHOCOLATE SKITTLES! I WANTED TO EAT THEM!"

"You'll get on a sugar high, Dan," Amy said, and looked over at the gigantic kitchen counter. On this gigantic kitchen counter was exactly five vials. They were marked with names.

I walked over to the counter and read the names on the vials. _Ian, Hamilton, Ted, Ned, Dan._ I reached out and touched the vial marked with my name. The liquid inside was see-through and thick, and it was clear as anything.

One of Sinead's brothers reached out and picked up the vial marked _Ted. _The other picked up the one marked _Ned._ Great, I can tell Ted and Ned apart now…I picked up the one marked with my name and so did Hamilton and Ian.

"Should we…" Ted was inspecting his vial carefully. It had a liquid that was similar to water in it, but tinted purple.

"…drink?" Ned finished, shaking his vial around. The green tinted liquid inside sloshed around.

Hamilton shrugged and stared at his vial. It was a thick yellow liquid that looked disgusting.

Ian stared at his vial. The liquid inside was electric blue.

All the girls were watching us, and so were Jonah and Phoenix. Madison and Reagan looked sort of worried, Natalie bit her lip and looked at the liquids inside the vial carefully, probably trying to see if they matched any poisons she knew, Amy and Sinead looked very worried, and Jonah and Phoenix weren't paying much attention.

"Let us drink," Ian unscrewed the lid to his vial and held it out. I did the same, and so did Ted, Ned, and Hamilton.

I took one last look at the clear, thick liquid in the vial marked with my name, then clinked the vial against Ted, Ned, Hamilton, and Ian's vials. I lifted the vial to my mouth, tipped it back, and poured all of the liquid down my throat.

The liquid slid down, thick and slimy, down my throat. It had just made its way down there and I was about to swallow hard a bunch of times to get that gooey feeling, (it felt like I had just swallowed a slimy frog), out of my throat when suddenly a burning sensation took over me.

It felt like it was burning my insides up, spreading through my arms and legs and everywhere. It was so painful…I dropped onto the ground, banged my head on the counter, and everything went black.

_Ian_

The contents inside my vial were electric blue. I shook the vial and calculated the density of the liquid and everything, trying to see if it was a poison. I had been taught to calculate if something was a poison ever since I was young, and this…liquid inside the vial showed nothing to reveal that it was a poison.

I finally settled on the fact that it was harmless. First of all, it didn't show any attributes of poison, and second of all, Fiske couldn't possibly go as far as to poison us just to get our branches to bond. If he killed me, the Lucian branch would cut itself off and revolt, because even though Isabel had disowned me, I was still the head of the Lucian branch's son. I would eventually become the Lucian branch's leader, and I don't think the Lucian branch would take kindly to have their future leader poisoned.

I sighed and looked at the vial again. I shook it and the liquid sloshed around inside. This liquid was harmless. Fiske would not try to kill me. "Let us drink," I said, swallowing. My throat was suddenly dry. What if it was some kind of Madrigal poison I wasn't familiar with? No. Fiske would not poison me. He would not try to kill me. He would not dare try to hurt the Lucian branch's future leader.

I cast one last glance at Amy. She's staring at me and the vial in her hand, worry in her green eyes. I gave her a reassuring smile, and then I looked at the vial one last time. I raised it to my lips and drank.

The liquid went down my throat without any problem. It was tasteless, like water. I could almost believe I was drinking water-if not for the terrible pain that came afterward.

The pain felt like needles were being stuck into my skin, more and more and more, so that I felt like there were needles everywhere. My skin stung, my eyes watered, and my heart beat faster, and then slower, and then faster again. I crumbled down onto the floor and everything faded to black.

_Natalie_

After Dan had tipped the contents of the vial down his throat, he immediately collapsed and hit the floor. "DAN!" I screamed, running over to his unconscious form.

There were dull thudding sounds from all around me, and I heard shrill screaming.

"TED!"

"NED!"

"HAMILTON!"

"IAN!"

I bent over Dan. His eyes were open but glazed over, his jade green eyes. I lift up his wrist and check for a pulse. I almost faint from relief when I feel it. A little slower than usual, but definitely there.

I raised my head and looked around the gigantic kitchen. Ted, Ned, Hamilton, and Ian were also passed out on the ground, and Amy was bending over Ian, her red hair covering her face. Judging by the sobs coming from behind the curtain of hair, she was crying. Sinead was standing over Hamilton, looking at him. She was biting her lip and trembling, probably to keep from crying. Madison and Reagan were shaking Ted and Ned, yelling at them to wake up.

Phoenix and Jonah were just standing by, watching. Phoenix was muttering, "I thought people were used to watching people drop unconscious."

I reach out and close Dan's eyelids. The open, glazed over eyes were just too scary. Jonah was rummaging through the kitchen, probably looking for something to eat. Ugh. Why do boys care about eating so much? But Dan cared about eating…I turned back to Dan. What had Fiske done to him? What had that liquid in the vial done to him? I pulled a needle out of my pocket to extract his blood and make Sinead examine it, but before I could, Jonah let out a shout. "HEY! I FOUND A NOTE FROM FISKE!"

I jumped up, and all of the girls ran toward Jonah and Phoenix, practically knocking him over. Amy snatched the note from his hand and read it.

"'_Dear Amy, Natalie, Sinead, Madison, Reagan, Jonah, and Phoenix,_

_The vials that Ted, Ned, Hamilton, Dan, and Ian have drunk are infected with different poisons that will give them a deadly disease. The poisons have…effects on the brain when the boys are unconscious, so they are probably suffering now as you read. You have twenty four hours to cure them before the poisons take COMPLETE effect…and after that there's no going back. _

_I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you. _

_Fiske.'"_

Amy crumpled up the paper and burst into tears. "Ian…"

Sinead kept a little more dignity and didn't cry, but she looked pretty torn. "Hamilton," she glanced over at Hamilton's unconscious frame and pressed her hand to her mouth. She took in a sharp intake of breath.

Madison and Reagan looked mad. They clenched their fists. Madison bit her lip and Reagan stared down at the ground.

_You have twenty four hours to cure them before the poison takes COMPLETE effect…and after that there's no going back. _

Death. That means death. Or at least so hopelessly mangled that there's no hope in life anymore.

How could Fiske do this to his own nephew?

How could Fiske do this to _Dan?_

_Sinead_

Hamilton…Hamilton had drunk a poison that would take effect in twenty four hours and either kill him or scar him for life. Scar him for life…I've always hated that expression. Since it applies to me. Literally. I look down at the pale scars on my arm and bit my lip to keep from crying.

Natalie shook as she stood up and walked over to Dan. "We need to find out…what…" She broke off. A tear slid down her face and she wiped it off, almost angrily. "We need to find out what…poison is in those…vials they drank." She leaned over Dan, took out a needle, and extracted some of his blood. Then she burst into tears.

I walked over to her, reached into my pocket, and held out a glass slide. She put some of Dan's blood on it, but continued crying, her shoulders shaking. "Natalie…what's the matter?"

"Dan…" She coughed out between tears. Natalie Kabra crying. Not something you see every day. "He needs all the blood he can to survive…I…it's so unfair…I might be losing him so soon…after I just got him…the blood I took from him could mean his death!"

"Shush. Natalie, calm down. We can figure this out. You're a Lucian; you have extensive knowledge of all antidotes/cures. With that, I bet Dan will be fine. Calm down, Natalie." I whispered, and Natalie took in a deep breath and hiccupped. Natalie Kabra not looking dignified-also something you didn't see every day.

Natalie took another deep breath, her hiccups stopped, and she stood up and regained her old dignity. She fixed her hair and pulled a compact out of her pocket. Then she opened it and dabbed powder on her puffy, red eyes.

"We need to figure it out. We only have twenty four hours." Natalie said as Amy came over to check on how Dan was. Amy and I nodded. Natalie cast a look at Dan and suddenly whirled on Jonah and Phoenix. "How come you don't have _anything _wrong with you? It's so unfair! You should've gotten poisoned! Fiske poisons Dan…and Hamilton…and Ted and Ned…and Ian…but he doesn't poison you? Honestly, you guys are the most useless!" She yelled, her voice filled with fury and anger.

Jonah looked injured, but he covered it up. I sent an apologetic look toward Phoenix, "Sorry…she's…stressed out," I said. I inspect the slide with Dan's blood on it. "I need a microscope."

Madison and Reagan, who were rummaging around in the cupboards for something that might help Ted and Ned, banged open a cupboard and looked at what was inside. "Sinead…" Reagan said, "I think you might want to see this."

I walked over to them, still holding the slide carefully, and look at what was inside the cupboard. Everything. The top Ekaterina technology, microscopes, Bunsen burners, vials, _everything._ I pull out a microscope and slide the slide into the slot. I look through the microscope, zone in, and start inspecting the cells in the blood. This was my area of expertise.

"Amy, Natalie, Reagan, Madison-go and give me blood samples of all the other unconscious guys," I said, still zooming into the different cells in Dan's blood.

Hamilton would get better. He would get a cure.

I would find a way.

I was an Ekaterina, and a Starling.

And we never failed.

_Ted_

I could see again, but this was strange. I was on the island, but the colours seemed too harsh, too bright. The sunlight was neon yellow, the grass bright green. The flowers were harsh, bright colours that hurt my eyes. I was walking toward the mansion, squinting. Inside the mansion, the colours mixed together in a mess of dark and bright. I went inside the sitting room. Everyone was standing there, and Reagan was standing in the center, looking like herself.

Her blond hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was wearing a purple sweatshirt and grey sweatpants. She turned and smiled harshly at me. "Hello, Ted."

I didn't speak, didn't move. It was like I was frozen. Reagan started circling me, her lips turned upwards in a cruel smile. "So…you can see again. Am I correct?"

My head jerked up and down in a rough nodding motion. I had no control over my body; it was like it was controlling itself with a mind of its own. By theory, this was proven impossible, but…

Reagan pulled something out of her pocket and tossed it in the air. She caught it effortlessly, without even having to look at it. I looked closer to see what it was. Reagan caught sight of that and laughed harshly. "Ted, Ted, Ted…you can see now. I think we need to fix that." She smiled at me, but it was obviously fake. "I don't like the fact you can see. It's…disgusting."

Her words stung, and I stared at her, completely passive, letting her do what she wanted to do. Reagan threw the object she was holding in the air. "Goodbye, Ted. If this works well…you'll never see my face again."

Only now I saw what the object she was holding was. A bomb. Like the one at the Franklin Institute. As it hit the ground, everyone disappeared, leaving the sitting room deserted. A feeling of panic gripped me and I screamed, "REAGAN!"

The bomb exploded, and suddenly it was like I was back at the Franklin Institute again, with Sinead's shrill screams and Ned shouting out instructions. The bomb exploded, and for the second time in my life-my vision disappeared and everything went black.

_Ned_

Silence. That's all I can hear. Pure, beautiful silence.

I've always loved silence. It didn't aggravate headaches; it didn't do anything too harmful to my head. And it was beautiful.

Everything is a sea of silence and darkness-my two favourite things after the Franklin Institute. Darkness didn't spark headaches like light did. Silence soothed my ears and calmed my mind. Darkness was cool against my aching head. Silence was peaceful, oh so peaceful.

Suddenly, the silence and darkness exploded. A sea of light came washing through, and an insistent buzzing filled the air. My head immediately felt like someone had banged into it and was now jumping around it. A headache filled my head, so intense and so painful I couldn't think.

I dropped down onto the ground. A shrill scream filled the air, and I begged it to stop. I soon realized it was mine. I tried to stop, but I couldn't. Screaming, screams, screams of angst, _my _screams, filled the air, giving me headaches.

I shivered. _Madison. _If she were here…

And then, as if prompted by my words, Madison appeared in a bright flash of light. She was wearing a long white gown, but other than that she looked completely like herself. She was practically glowing as she walked around, and I couldn't look at her. She gave me a headache.

"Ned!" Madison cried, walking toward me.

The light hit my eyes and I screamed again as the pain entered my head. "Madison…leave…I can't be with you. I can't…" Isn't this my worst nightmare? That one day my personality and the way I am will affect the way I live my life?

Madison turned away, looking hurt, and the light surrounding her dimmed. "Bye, Ned. I don't expect you'll be seeing me ever again. I don't suppose so…"

And she was gone, and all the light was sucked up, and the noise…and the silence and darkness returned.

But this time I hated it.

_Hamilton_

Sinead was strung up in front of a target in a large training room in the Tomas house I used to live in before the Clue Hunt. Dad was standing in front of the target, holding a stack of bricks. His meaty hands are clenched into fists.

"HAMILTON!" Dad yelled, turning to me. His eyes are angry and his fists are tightly clenched together. His voice echoed a hundred times in the large training room. He drops a brick onto the floor and stomps his foot on it. The brick is instantly smashed into pieces. "YOU ARE DATING AN EKATERINA?"

I shudder under his angry gaze. He lifts a brick and tosses it at Sinead. It slams into her arm and sketches another scar there. Sinead winces and I clench my fists. I wanted to lunge forward, but I couldn't move. I was frozen in place.

"THIS LITTLE WIMP OF A THING," Dad's voice echoes as he walks forward, picks up one of Sinead's thin arms, and squeezes, "CAN'T RUN TO SAVE HER LIFE! SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY MUSCLE! MADISON COULD'VE BEATEN HER UP WHEN SHE WAS TEN MONTHS OLD!"

_Stop!_ I wanted to scream, but I couldn't open my mouth. I watched, horrified.

"SHE IS HORRIBLE! WHAT HAPPENED TO HER, HUH? DIDN'T WE BLOW HER UP? WHY DO YOU CARE FOR HER?" Dad yelled, throwing another brick at Sinead. It hit her and she bit her lip so hard blood came out. The brick fell to the ground. Dad harrumphed. "ANY RESPECTABLE GIRL WOULD HAVE THAT BRICK BREAK! THEY WOULD REACH OUT AND THROW IT BACK, EVEN! SHE IS NOT A RESPECTABLE GIRL!"

_Yes she is! A hundred times more respectable than you! And a hundred times smarter!_ I wanted to scream.

Dad threw his whole collection of bricks at Sinead. By the time he was finished, Sinead was hanging limp and she was almost dead.

My worst nightmare. My Dad torturing Sinead.

_Madison_

I shoved a sample of Ned's blood in Sinead's face. She had already identified the different types of poison in Dan's blood and Ted's blood, and now Natalie and Amy were furiously mixing antidotes that Natalie had come up with. It was found that most of the stuff needed for antidotes was right in the kitchen…

Jonah and Phoenix were standing by the fridge, eating chips. The sharp scent of whatever antidote Natalie had mixed up for Dan pierced the air. Natalie was standing by a vial held carefully over the stove, being heated, her hair pulled up in a perfect ponytail, wearing sparkly pink goggles she had found in a cabinet because they _matched her outfit. _Ah, well…she was Natalie Kabra.

Sinead took the slide with Ned's blood on it, slid it in the slot of the microscope, and started inspecting the blood. Natalie started looking around frantically as she used a pair of tweezers to lower a spring of some-plant-that-was-by-the-window into Dan's antidote. "I need a moonstone!"

"A _moonstone?_" Amy was making Ted's poison while Reagan watched. Amy kept on checking the list of ingredients Natalie had written out for her on a sheet of paper, so she was much slower than Natalie, but fast enough.

"Yes, a _moonstone!_ The properties and the minerals in the moonstone need to be used in this antidote! I need to coat the moonstone with my antidote and put it in Dan's mouth! It's the only way to reverse the effects of some of the _most lethal _Lucian poisons ever invented!" Natalie said, blowing a strand of her hair out of her face. She dropped something else into the antidote for Dan, then held it out carefully over the heat and watched it thicken.

Jonah reached into his pocket and pulled something out. "I got a moonstone. It's part of one of my necklaces, but it's perfectly natural. One of my fans threw it at me."

Natalie ran forward and grabbed the stone out of Jonah's hand. Then she carefully turned off the stove and poured the antidote over the stone. The antidote sizzled and steamed, and burned off half the stone. And Natalie was holding it _without gloves._

I stare at her, "You can do that, but you can't help clean up?"

Natalie scoffed, "Kabras only do work they have to." She blew carefully on the moonstone.

I looked over at Sinead, who was still looking through the microscope. She was mumbling things under her breath and screwing the knob on the side of the microscope continuously. This way, that way, more mumbling. Could she just hurry up and finish analyzing Ned's blood, please?

I looked over at the floor. Ned was writhing around, occasionally letting out a shrill scream, and Ted was yelling Reagan's name. Whenever he did, Reagan looked over at him and her bottom lip wobbled. Then she turned back to watching Amy brew up the antidote.

Ned…if we couldn't find an antidote for him, he would be practically gone. Ned…gone. The idea was too much to bear. I remembered Fiske's note. _The poisons have…effects. The boys are probably suffering now as you read._ Suffering. Ned was suffering. I wanted to end his suffering and make him stop screaming so badly…

Sinead's voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "Serpent venom…" she started listing off a bunch of the things that, she believed, were in Ned's blood.

None of them sounded good.

_Reagan_

Natalie was still inspecting her moonstone, watching it steam and sizzle. My eyes alternate between Amy, Ted, and Madison.

They flick to Amy. She's staring at the list of ingredients, her brow furrowed. Her eyes keep darting over to Ian, and she kept on biting her lip. Right now, she's carefully sprinkling something into Ted's antidote, but her eyes aren't on the vial she's holding. They're on Ian.

And even though I will be the last person you turn to if you want to analyze what a person's eyes are saying, I could tell that Amy was worried. Very worried. The other guys had been experiencing what Fiske called 'effects,' of the poison-Hamilton was turning around on the floor, Ted and Ned were screaming, Dan was turning and curling up, but Ian-he had remained perfectly still. Impassive.

And Amy was worried. My eyes go over to Ted. He's lying down, screaming my name. _My name._ Whatever he's suffering has to do with me. _Me._

I don't think I've ever felt so guilty before.

I look away before I start crying, and I end up glancing at Natalie. The Master Antidote Maker at work. Then again, she could also make lethal poisons. She was glancing at the moonstone, watching it. It turned blue, and she looked satisfied. Pulling her hair out of a ponytail, she ran over to Dan and opened his mouth carefully. She stuck the moonstone in his mouth, turned it around, left it there for a few seconds, and then quickly pulled it out and flicked it into the garbage can.

Dan turned, stopped writhing around, and stayed still for a full minute with Natalie looking over him…and then he got up and Natalie threw her arms around him and started kissing him so furiously. I felt a wave of jealously wash over me. If that was Ted…and me…

Madison ran over to Natalie and interrupted her kiss with Dan. Natalie looked irritated as Madison shoved the list of poisons in Ned's blood into her hands.

Then Natalie slowly stood up, read over the poisons, and went back to the kitchen counter. She started brewing the antidote, but with Dan at her side, her movements were quick, deft, and confidence practically radiated off her.

I looked over at Amy. Her eyes were still trained on Ian, and she was working on Ted's antidote, her hands moving slowly and clumsily.

_Hurry up,_ I thought,_ Ted needs that antidote. _I _need that antidote._

_Jonah_

I'm pretty sure the girls are all pretty ticked off at me. They're working to get their boyfriends up and going again, and Phoenix and I are just standing by eating chips. Well…excuse us if we know nothing that will actually help!

Phoenix was huffing under his breath about how horribly weird Cahills were. "I mean, you get knocked out, they leave you alone. Someone else gets knocked out, they freak!" He's been going on about this forever…

I watch the scene playing out. Ian, Ned, Ted, and Hamilton are still knocked out on the floor. Natalie is making the antidote for Ted at record speed with Dan helping her. Sinead is inspecting Hamilton's blood. Amy's eyes are locked on Ian, her hands shaky and brewing an antidote for Ted. Reagan's watching Amy, her hands clenched into fists and her eyes darting over to Ted all the time.

Finally, with shaking hands, Amy handed a vial to Reagan and I watch her run over and give it to Ted. He wakes up after a minute, and then Reagan and Ted start making out. Yeah…

Natalie hands the vial with Ned's antidote to Madison, and then starts on Hamilton's antidote. Sinead walks over to take a sample of Ian's blood.

I don't know if the girls had noticed, but they've been working practically the whole day.

I guess they're just worried that the guys will die.

Not that they ever would go down without a fight. When you're a Cahill, you don't get knocked down easily.

_Phoenix_

Well, now I know how crazy Madrigals really are. Poisoning people…just to get them to bond. How did that get them to bond?

Madrigals were crazy.

Lucians? They're cold, calculating, power-hungry, sneaky, and deceiving.

Ekaterinas? They're smart, geniuses, clever, sharp, and understand quantum physics completely at the age of ten.

Tomas? They're athletic, strong, fast, and can smash bricks with their bare hands.

Janus? They're creative, smart, and like expressing themselves.

Madrigals? They're downright crazy when it comes to bonding.

-End-

**A/N: Another chapter done. How did you like that chapter? Sorry if the guys' POVs weren't very well done. If you want to know what the effects of the poisons were-they target the area of the brain that stores fear and make a creepy dream come out of it! Fun, right? **

**Okay, anyway, I hope you liked that chapter. Or semi-liked it. Either way. I would like to know if you liked it (or semi-liked it) and do you know the perfect way to tell me? To REVIEW! And also tell me how long you think this FF should be because I honestly don't know yet O.o. Okay, I will say this one last time, (at least in this chapter), REVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Here's another chapter, people! I'm so sorry for not updating! School…well, school's gotten tougher, so I've had more homework. So, SORRY! Accept my sincerest apologies. *bows* **

**Okay, now that that's over with…I know some of you thought the last chapter was gloomy. The beginning of this chapter is gloomy, too, so I'm sorry. Anyway, read on :)**

**Disclaimer: **

**Me: Hmm…who should I get to do the disclaimer? Oh, how about Ned and Ted! NED! TED!**

**Ned: Hello. We were just discussing the psychological reasons why you would choose Dream. Love. Smile as your username, as-**

**Me: Do the disclaimer. And you have no right to analyse me like some sort of guinea pig. **

**Ted: We have a perfect right to discuss anything. Did you know that Coke can be used in thirteen different ways-**

**Me: DO THE DISCLAIMER!**

**Ned: Fine. Dream. Love. Smile does not own statistics, the 39 Clues, or science-**

**Ted: HEY! WHY DO I GET THE BORING STUFF? Ahem…and she does not own chocolate covered frozen Skittles, Xbox, Coke, Pepsi…or the song Jonah is singing.**

**Me: Ted…you got the exciting stuff. **

**Ted: Urm…you think chocolate covered frozen Skittles are exciting? Science is much more exciting.**

**Me: UGH! Okay, anyway, on with the story…**

_Amy_

It was late in the night. Hamilton, Ted, Ned, and Dan had long since been woken up, and they were now all off somewhere on the grounds with Madison, Reagan, Sinead, and Natalie. Jonah and Phoenix had left long ago, and were now probably playing music somewhere.

Sinead had analyzed Ian's blood thoroughly, and Natalie had come up with every single antidote that she knew, and they had tried _everything, _but Ian still wouldn't wake up. Eventually Hamilton had picked up Ian's unconscious form and had taken him to his room for me. Now he was lying on his bed, in his room, and I was standing by the bed, watching his unconscious form, silent tears running down my face.

It had almost been twenty four hours. Ian had mere hours left. He was slowly fading from the world. Another tear, warm and salty, fell down and landed in the red carpeting of Ian's room. The ceiling of Ian's room-a mirror-reflected Ian's unconscious form. He looked as if he was sleeping, but his breaths had become shallow and quick. His pulse was becoming slower by the minute.

"Ian," I whispered under my breath, staring at his face. The handsome face with the tanned skin and the amber eyes so many girls had fallen for before. I reach out and grab his hand. "Ian…don't leave me. Please don't." Another tear fell down onto his face. "Ian," I said again, and another tear dropped down, splashing onto Ian's cinnamon skin. "Why?" I said, my voice softer now. More tears, dropping onto Ian's face. "I just got you," Tears, tears, and more tears. "And now you have to leave?" I took in a sharp breath to try to stop crying. It didn't work. The tears flowed, freely as ever, each one splashing onto Ian's face. "Ian!" I was wailing now. "Don't leave me!"

A small click came from behind me and I whirled around. Jonah flicked the lights on in the dark room and I blinked. A mouth-watering smell filled the room. Jonah held up a plate of food, "I thought you might be hungry. You've been in here all night. It's almost midnight."

I turned to him in disbelief, "And you're still awake?"

Jonah shrugged, "Hey, I barely ever sleep when I'm on tours. I cooked something for you."

"You can _cook?_" Jonah Wizard, international pop star who had girls falling at his feet and chefs and servants to do anything for him…could cook? Wow, I didn't see that one coming.

Jonah held out a plate of mussels, slathered over with creamy butter with a spring of something green, peppered with spice. "Does this answer your question?"

I turned back to Ian. Suddenly, the mouth-watering smell felt overpowering. I swallowed, "I…don't think I can eat that." I looked at Ian's face. My tears were trickling toward his mouth.

Jonah sighed, "Amy, you haven't eaten all day. Sinead convinced me to come up here and try to get you to eat."

"Well, I'm not _going _to eat until Ian wakes up!" I yelled. The tears were starting again, and I swipe them away.

Jonah set the plate of mussels down, "Amy…if you'd just calm down…"

"I am _not _going to calm down! Ian's not awake yet!" I drop back down next to the bed and start crying.

Jonah leaves, leaving me alone in the room with an unconscious, nearly dead Ian, and the smell of mussels with butter slathered all over them.

_Dan_

Natalie and I are walking along the beach, it's around midnight, and Natalie is fiddling with her dart gun nervously. We both couldn't sleep tonight. Natalie, because Ian couldn't be woken and was now lying in his room, almost dead, and me because I'm worried about Amy. She has locked herself in Ian's room with Ian, and hasn't come out to eat or do anything.

Natalie took a deep breath and I listened to the crashing of waves. I'm hungry…I have a craving for Skittles…and chocolate…and ice cream…chocolate covered frozen Skittles, like the ones I had before Amy knocked them out of my hands…my mind began to wander.

"DAN!" Natalie yelled, jerking me back to the present.

"Wha-?" I asked, snapping out of it. Natalie was looking at me, looking annoyed.

"I called your name eleven times. ELEVEN TIMES! And you didn't answer."

I sighed, "Sorry. I was thinking about chocolate covered frozen Skittles."

Natalie rolled her eyes, "Really, Dan? Chocolate covered frozen Skittles? What are Skittles? Are they those ridiculous American candies you keep in your pocket?"

"I can't believe after spending so much time with me you_ still _don't know what Skittles are," I huffed. I pulled a bag of Skittles out of my pocket. "_These _are Skittles. The greatest thing since sliced bread."

Natalie sighed, "I do not understand your obsession with those crazy, fattening American candies."

"They are not _crazy, fattening American candies,_" I said, imitating her British accent. "They are pieces of heaven on Earth!"

Natalie stared at me. "And what are those…_things _you call ninjas, then?"

"They're the BEST things on Earth!" I replied, "Ninjas ROCK! Ninjas RULE!"

Natalie rolled her eyes and kept on walking down the beach and fiddling with her dart gun. "I'm worried about Ian," She finally breathed.

"I think you and Amy are the only two who are actually worried…" I said, under my breath, but Natalie heard and she whirled on me and pointed her dart gun at me. I held my hands up in surrender. "I'm just saying…nobody really seems to like Ian."

Natalie dropped her dart gun and started crying. I drew in a sharp breath. Did I really make Natalie Kabra _cry?_ This was impossible! This could not happen! This was scary! I need the power of Skittles and ninjas! "Shush, Natalie, stop crying," My voice was panicked, "I didn't really mean it. Really! Natalie! Stop crying! Please!"

Natalie sucked in a deep breath. She managed to choke out between sobs, "I understand. Nobody ever liked the…" She started crying again, "Lucians," Natalie finally managed to say. "Everyone thought we…betrayed the Cahill family. We were practically the ones that ripped the family apart! Nobody liked us during the hunt…nobody really likes me for me. They like me for my money, or my looks, or the fame of my last name."

_Hey, that rhymes!_ I thought, but decided against saying it. "Natalie. I like you for you."

Natalie looked up, her amber eyes glittering with unshed tears. She sucked in a breath and picked up her dart gun and strung it back into her belt, turning away from me. "It's midnight. We should get back to the house."

Then she started walking back, and I'm glancing after her, wondering, _what happened to the Natalie Kabra I knew?_

_Ian_

The first wave is a waft of perfume. Then a tip of her favourite flats. Then a sound that had haunted my dreams ever since she had shot Natalie-a gun shot. And then broken screams coming from a cave. Sharks, hungry for blood, swimming around in the waters of Australia. Plummeting off Mount Everest.

It was like an endless slideshow in my head, images, memories, and there were iron chains binding me to a wall. I remained still, vaguely aware that somewhere it was raining and raindrops were dropping on my face, my pulse was slowly weakening, and I was slowly about to die.

I didn't care. In a way, I had already died after Isabel disowned Natalie and me. I just kept on living, going through the motions-but nothing had any meaning for me anymore. Unless it was for Amy.

The memories kept on flooding through, me unable to react. I knew the reason was that somehow I was paralysed, forced to watch the worse parts of my life in excruciating detail.

A scene unfolded before me, of falling rocks. Korea. Amy stood there, underneath the falling rocks, and I lunged forward-the image wavered and suddenly I was outside the cave, listening to broken sobbing. Over and over and over again.

The scene flashed to one on a boat. My mother's voice was cheery and happy, and Amy was standing beside me, looking nervous-then sharks were poking out of the water, demanding blood. Amy's blood.

_Amy, Amy, Amy…_I could hear her voice faintly in the background. _Amy. I'll have to leave you. I have to. There's no meaning in life for me anymore. I've been broken. Broken to pieces. I can't be fixed anymore…_

A salty taste filled my mouth and suddenly the images vanished, and it was like a veil that had been put between me and the real world had been pulled away. Voices grew louder. My heart started pumping faster. Oxygen flowed in and I could flex my fingers again. I opened my eyes and saw my own reflection in a mirror on the ceiling.

"IAN!" A scream as Amy practically tackled me. "You're AWAKE! You're _ALIVE!"_

I wrap my arms around her and smile as my eyes meet her jade green ones. "Did you think I would be dead, love?"

She leans forward and all thoughts of ending my life vanished from my head. I wasn't broken. I wasn't broken anymore-having Amy around mended me, if only for a little while.

_Natalie_

Ian could be dead right about now. Ian could be _dead._ The only family I had, the only person I could count on, could be _dead. _Without Ian…my life would be nothing. Isabel had already left us, she had shot me, and after that I never had any trust in her like I had before. Father had abandoned us to our own devices. I didn't care for them anymore, but Ian, _Ian, _he was different. He was special. He was my brother, the only person I had left now. Dan's nice, but I haven't known him for long. Not really. And his obsession with American candies…

Ian. I dash back to the house, tapping my dart gun. Was he dead? Was he already dead? Was the only person I cared for already dead? IAN! Without Ian, I was nothing anymore. He was like a part of me, and if he died, it would feel like a part of me had been ripped out.

Isabel's voice floated into my head, one of the things she would repeat to me every day. _Kabras never show any emotion._

Emotion. How I had kept it locked up inside me for so long, venting out everything on shopping and magazines and shopping and shopping and shopping and shopping and more shopping. _Kabras never show any emotion._

I had a perfect right to show emotion. My brother might be dead. My brother was almost dead. The seconds were ticking away until the clock strikes the hour that his heart will stop beating. This is so incredibly depressing to think about…what else should I think about? Cashmere. Yes. Cashmere…or silk. Silk dresses of all colours. Cashmere scarves…white and blue and red. It calmed me down a little, like thinking of clothes always did. I composed myself and fixed my hair and took deep breaths.

Footsteps came running up to me from behind. "NATALIE! You just abandoned me on the beach like that! No one abandons the Ninja Master!"

I stifled a laugh, "I'm Natalie Kabra. I have a right to abandon...," I paused, not wanting to call Dan that Ninja Master, because that made him seem like he was ranked above me, "You," I finally said.

Dan swatted me on the arm, "How dare you not call me the Ninja Master."

"Dan, consider yourself lucky you're the only boy who has ever made his way to my heart."

_Sinead_

Hamilton and I are sitting in the living room, talking. Or more like arguing. Well, old habits die hard.

"Why do you care so much about him? He's IAN KABRA! You're not supposed to care that much about him!" Hamilton is yelling, running his fingers through his hair. "NOBODY cares about the Lucians!"

"I'm not worried about _Ian!_ I'm worried about _Amy!_ In case you haven't noticed, Hamilton, _Amy _definitely cares about Ian!" I burst out, "She hasn't eaten all day! She hasn't come out of Ian's room all day! And Natalie's all broken up, too! She hasn't been _Natalie _lately! She's been this…stranger!"

"Since when did you care about _Natalie?_" Hamilton looked confused. "Since when did you care about the _Kabras?_"

I huffed, "And you're telling me you don't feel the least bit sorry for the Kabras?"

"Why should I feel _sorry _for them?"

"Think about it. If you don't feel sorry for them you really don't have a heart," I said. Hamilton still looked puzzled, and I sighed.

"I still…" Hamilton started, and then he trailed off, seeing my expression.

There's the sound of footsteps as Natalie and Dan come into the sitting room. "Back from your walk?" I asked, leaning back on the pillows. After all the boys had woken up, except Ian, Hamilton had taken Ian to his room and Dan, Natalie, Hamilton, and I had gone down here to sit in the sitting room after. Ted, Ned, Madison, and Reagan all left for the sixth floor, and then Dan and Natalie had left to go take a walk outside, even though it was, like, pitch black.

Natalie slumped down on a couch. A Kabra slumping…I had no idea that was even scientifically possible, according to studies of what they had grown up believing. But the poor girl's brother was almost dead and she felt horrible. I could at least relate to that.

"OH!" Dan pumped his fist in the air, looking over at Natalie. I could tell he was trying to cheer her up. "Let's play a GAME!"

A game? Has Fiske rubbed off on Dan? I know Dan's no Ekaterina, but he must've noticed that every game we Cahills play end in disaster! What was the clue hunt? One big game. What was the Vespers holding everyone hostage? One big game.

Natalie looked down at her dart gun and didn't say anything, and Dan's face fell. Hamilton shrugged, "All right. Sinead refuses to sleep because she's worried about Ian and Amy, so, we might as well do something to spend the time."

I watched as Natalie's shoulders tensed as Hamilton said 'Ian.'

"No," I finally said. "Games never turn out well for us Cahills."

And so all four of us sit there in a gloomy silence.

_Ted_

Reagan and I are sitting in the room that Fiske had locked us in when he made us 'bond,' in duos, because there's really no other place to go. I'm sitting on the couch, Reagan's head on my lap, and I'm playing with her hair.

Reagan looked up at me and sighed, "You were passed out for ages."

As I look at her, I couldn't help thinking of how she was in my mind after I swallowed that poison. Overly bright. Throwing the bomb in the air. Taking away my vision. I swallowed hard. "I shouldn't have drunk that vial."

Reagan blinked once, and then paused for a moment. Finally, she said, "When you were passed out, you kept on yelling my name. Fiske said the poison would have _effects_ on you. What were the…effects?" She asked.

I swallowed, "Um," I began, choosing my words carefully, "It wasn't really anything, you know, serious. Let's not talk about it."

Reagan rolled her eyes at me, "Look, do you really think I'll buy that? I know you're smarter than me, but I also know that what was going on inside your head when you were passed out _was _serious and it had to do with me! So, what was it?"

I paused, wondering if I should tell her or not. "Um…Reagan, it was nothing, really. It was just that I was on the island, and…" I hesitated, "Everything was neon bright and hurting my eyes, and I went inside the house and someone threw a bomb, and my sight was gone again." I conveniently left out the fact that she was the someone that threw the bomb.

Reagan narrowed her eyes, "Then why were you screaming my name?"

I fingered her hair, "I don't know, Reagan. I was unconscious."

"Unconscious? Don't know? Ted, don't play with me. You're an _Ekaterina._ You spew out facts about things people don't care about _in your sleep!_"

I took a breath, "Reagan."

"Ted, you were almost dead for hours! Did you know how worried I was? I wanted to go and punch something, but I couldn't, and Amy took _forever _to make your poison, and all the time you're just lying there screaming my name…"

"Reagan," I repeated.

"And now you won't even tell me what the screaming of my name was about? Honestly? You'll tell me Ekaterina research techniques, random analysis of Fiske's habits, and everything that nobody cares about, but you won't tell me this one thing that I care about?"

"REAGAN!" I screamed, and Reagan immediately shut up.

"Yes?" She asked meekly, looking up at me.

"Look, you don't want to know what went on in my dream. You're better off without that knowledge." That was true. Sometimes knowledge wasn't a good thing…sometimes it weighed you down.

Reagan bit her lip. "I want to know."

"Fine," I finally said. "You want to know? I'll tell you. You were the person in my dream that set off the bomb."

Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Reagan looked up at me, her mouth open. Then she got up and went out of the room.

_Ned_

Madison and I are sitting across from each other in silence. My dream keeps on replaying over and over in my head, despite the techniques of human psychology I keep on using to get it out of my head. Madison's feet are propped up on the coffee table, and she looks relieved.

We've been talking about random stuff for the past few hours, and now the conversation had turned to Ian and Amy.

"I feel bad for Amy. She's been locked up in Ian's room for ages, crying," I said, and Madison nodded.

"Well…don't blame her. I guess because Ian's almost dead…" Madison trailed off.

"Nobody really cares about the Kabras except Amy and Dan," I finally said.

Madison coughed, "I'm thirsty. We've been, like, talking nonstop for ages."

"Distractions from what's going on help the human brain feel secure and that everything is safe and all right when the opposite may be true," I said, getting up, going over to the mini fridge, pulling out a bottle of Coke, and throwing it to Madison.

She caught it without even looking, "Spare me from your Ekaterina outbursts of knowledge."

"Some of this knowledge might actually be useful, Madison."

"Whatever. Don't talk. I can't respond anymore." Madison uncapped the Coke bottle and gulped some Coke.

We sit in silence for a while, with Madison drinking the Coke, until I finally say, "Let's go down to the sitting room. We could play a one on one game of laser tag or something."

Madison shrugged and we both stood up and went downstairs.

What I saw was…unexpected.

Hamilton, Sinead, Dan, and Natalie were sitting around on the couches, silent and just staring at each other, Natalie staring down at her dart gun. Reagan is nowhere to be seen, but Ted's sitting on a beanbag chair, his expression grave. Madison and I sat down on a couch and I looked around.

Everyone was quiet, and the mood was subdued. Not really that usual for Cahills, except when there was some sort of horrible tragedy. Did a Lucian dying count as a horrible tragedy?

Everyone just sits there in silence for ages, until finally a bunch of footsteps broke the silence. Two people burst into the living room.

We turn to see who it was, and my mouth drops open.

Amy and Ian.

_Hamilton_

Well, finally, some excitement comes. Ian turns out to have actually survived that poison without any antidote, and Amy's face is lit up like the sun.

"IAN!" Natalie stood up and gave Ian a gigantic hug. Dan's face lit up to see Natalie happy, and Sinead looked overjoyed because Amy was actually happy and out of Ian's room and not crying.

On cue, Jonah and Phoenix ran into the living room. Once Jonah saw Ian, he started singing, "AND NOBODY GON BRING ME DOWN, I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD-OH-OH-OH-OH…"

Phoenix was holding a guitar, and he started strumming it. Well, this was a really rapid change in mood. Suddenly, everyone was standing up and surrounding Amy-well, all the girls. Jonah and Phoenix kept on singing/strumming the guitar. Ned went up to Ian and asked him a question, and Ian answered.

Ted kept on sitting moodily on his beanbag chair, staring up at the ceiling, oblivious to anything going on around him.

I stood up and walked over to Ted. "What's the matter? I don't think I've ever seen you so down," In normal conditions, I wouldn't care much for Ted. But since he was Sinead's brother and Reagan seemed so obsessed with him…

Ted blinked, "Hamilton." He finally said, looking cut off from the rest of the world. His eyes were glazed over and he appeared to be thinking hard about something. Quantum Physics, maybe. Another theory of science. Statistics. After a while, Ted responded again. "Tell Reagan…tell Reagan the dream didn't mean anything. Tell her I'm sorry," And then he stood up and walked out of the sitting room.

Well…that was weird.

Though after Ned and Ted pretending to be hairdressers, a suing rant from Ian, truth serums, Jonah's wardrobe, and an overdose of poisons-I should be used to weird by now.

_Madison_

I ran up to Amy, "Do you know how lit up your face is right now? It's so happy! What happened?"

"How did Ian wake up? Was it some sort of antidote?" Natalie asked Amy.

Sinead just gave Amy a gigantic hug.

Amy laughed. She turned to Natalie, "Well…it was, actually I don't know. All that happened to Ian to get him to wake up was…well, I was crying. I think he drank some of my tears…" she trailed off, "That sounds so weird."

Sinead shrugged, "Hey, we've seen weirder."

"Tears?" Natalie looked interested. She pulled her phone out and made a note on it, "Salt water…"

Amy walked over to a couch and flopped down on it. "Ian's awake," Her eyes were glazed over and dreamy, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Honestly, Amy, you're _so _lovesick." I said, and Amy flushed red.

"I am not," Amy protested, and Natalie and Sinead both rolled their eyes, too.

"Yes you are," Natalie flashed a smile. "So, how are you feeling?"

Sinead grinned, "Better, I suppose. Hey…what happened to those mussels I sent Jonah up with?"

"Ian ate them," Amy replied, as we piled into chairs surrounding the couch she was sitting on. "And I am sort of hungry…"

"We're getting you food," Sinead stood up, left, and came back five minutes later with a tray of muffins and hot chocolate. Natalie reached out and took a cup of hot chocolate.

"Is this melted Belgian chocolate heated at the exact temperature of 39 degrees Celsius mixed with exactly half a cup of low-fat milk chocolate?" Natalie asked, staring at the cup.

_Really?_ Melted Belgian chocolate? 39 Degrees Celsius? Low-fat milk chocolate? Natalie had high standards for her hot chocolate…

"Uh…it's instant hot chocolate," Sinead offered, and Natalie stared at her cup distastefully.

"Well, then I don't want it. Only the finest for Kabras, of course." Natalie got ready to put the cup back when Amy interrupted.

"And my _brother _is the finest?" Amy said, with a smirk that would've made Ian proud.

Natalie blushed, mumbled something, and ended up drinking some hot chocolate after all. I picked up a muffin and bit into it.

"So, what did you guys do when I was crying over Ian?" Amy asked, sipping some hot chocolate.

"Oh, we were just sitting around in silence. Well, Hamilton and I," Sinead replied, biting into her muffin.

"Dan and I went for a…walk. On the beach," Natalie replied, hesitantly drinking her hot chocolate. "What is this…hot chocolate? It is not creamy enough, nearly hot enough…"

"Natalie, its hot chocolate made from a powder in a packet and hot water. Don't put your expectations up too high." I cut her off, "Ned and I went up to the sixth floor and talked about random stuff. You will now be glad to know I know the whole history of Coke and Pepsi and how the Xbox got invented."

It was true. Ned had gone on about stuff like that and I had told him all about sports, triathlons, and marathons. A Tomas and an Ekaterina. What an amazing match.

Amy laughed, "So how did the Xbox get invented?"

Sinead smiled, "I can tell you that, but since you have a hatred for video games because of Dan…"

Amy shuddered, "Oh, yeah. Don't tell me how it got invented. I will probably sic Ian on the person that invented it."

"Sic Ian on the person that invented it?" Natalie raised her eyebrows. Then she smiled, "He probably would poison the person…if _you _requested it."

That made Amy blush a brilliant shade of red.

We all laugh and continue eating muffins and drinking hot chocolate at one o'clock in the morning. But someone was missing. Reagan. Where was she?

The link with my twin I had before the Vespers situation was gone.

And I hated it.

_Reagan_

Ted…Ted dreamed about _me _throwing a _bomb _at him and taking away his vision? How could he _ever _think that I would be _that _cruel? I flopped down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Then again, what did people think of me?

I was a Tomas. That conjured up images of people with no mercy, muscles, and the ability to kill with a squeeze.

I was a Holt. That made people think I have zero brain cells and can't think of anything smart.

I was a girl. That…didn't really say much.

What the heck did people think of me? What did _Ted _think of me?

I longed to believe that Ted thought of me as perfect, brilliant, and nice, but I knew that was never going to happen. I was the complete opposite of perfect, brilliant, and nice. Ted, on the other hand, I knew if he tried, he'll have girls falling over his feet.

That's the funny thing about the Cahill boys. They have a way of getting girls to swoon over them and fall at their feet and date them without trying.

Jonah? He was a superstar, and he had fan girls everywhere and girls kissing his posters, (ew), and girls who would _die _to date him.

Hamilton? He was the most popular guy at our school before the Clue Hunt, because of his athletic-ness and all that, and a bunch of girls would always drop sappy love notes in his locker, which he ripped up.

Dan? He was obsessed with ninjas and all, but I suspect that if the great _Natalie Kabra _liked him, a lot of girls secretly had crushes on him. Not like he would care.

Phoenix? He would eventually somehow probably become a star and be like Jonah, because he _was _a Janus, after all.

Ned? He was…Ned. He could get girls to go for him-probably by way of statistics and study of reverse psychology and all that.

Ian? He was handsome, (well, according to a lot of girls), a lot of girls thought he was hot, and he was a Lucian and sneaky and stealthy. He had girls falling over his feet and begging to go on dates with him.

Ted? If he tried, he wouldn't be mine anymore.

_Jonah_

Ian looked perfectly fine. He looked really well, actually. It was hard to believe that the guy had been almost dead an hour ago.

Phoenix started strumming his guitar. After Hamilton had taken Ian upstairs, and Amy had locked herself in there crying, Phoenix and I had went back to the boys' suite and I had cooked, (I cook, all right? Don't judge me!), while analysing Phoenix's music skills.

The kid was pretty good. He might hit it big-time someday.

Right now, Phoenix was strumming the guitar and practising his chords as we talked to Ian. Dan was gone, mumbling something about finding chocolate covered frozen Skittles.

"How did you wake up? Sinead said you had five different deadly venoms and two unidentifiable substances in your blood! And eventually Natalie identified the unidentifiable substances as lethal, with no antidote Lucian poisons!" Ned was asking.

Ian's face went white. "Really…? And I couldn't identify it…?"

"I think Fiske went to special precautions to make sure you couldn't identify what was in the vials," I cut in, "Don't feel bad."

Ian shrugged, "Well, yes, I suppose so."

Ned sat down on a couch and Ian sat down on an armchair. I sank into a beanbag chair and Phoenix just remained standing, strumming his guitar.

"Dude, Amy was crying over you! She refused to eat my special buttery mussels…" I grumbled, and Ned raised his eyebrows.

"Jonah, you cook?"

"Why does everybody seem so surprised? Yes, I COOK! Don't any of you have totally weird habits?" I asked, throwing my hands up.

Ian laughed, "You cook?"

"Grrr…yes, I cook…" I said, "What's so weird about cooking?"

"It's girly," Ian said, running his fingers through his hair.

"Girly? Look who's talking. Ian, you only wore _designer _up until now. You have ten different shampoo bottles. You probably spend more time and more money on yourself and your hair than Amy does!" I shot at him, and Ian flushed ever so slightly red.

"Well, technically Ian is correct. Cooking is more often known as something pursued by the female gender of the population, due to…" Ned began, and I sent a glare toward him.

Ned shut his mouth, "Uh…I'll stop talking now."

"No more criticism about my cooking, got it?" I growled, and everyone nodded.

Nobody wants to see a Cahill angry.

_Phoenix_

I strummed the guitar and listened in to the guys' conversation.

Cooking…Ian's beauty products…statistics about female genders and cooking…wow, is this what Cahill guys talk about? Jumping from cooking to beauty products to statistics? The next thing you know, we'll be talking about the _Titanic._

"Hey, Jonah, do you like the _Titanic?_ Just asking, because, you know, you like cooking…" Ned said, and Ian snorted.

Okay…wow. Now they _are _talking about the _Titanic. _

-End-

**A/N: There's another chapter. How did you like it? Again, I am SO sorry for not updating earlier…really. And what to do for the next chapter? Hmm…does anyone want me to do something along the lines of, you know, Divergent? 'Cuz I'm getting obsessed with getting Insurgent…I STILL don't have that book in my hands…and I'm reading Divergent AGAIN right about now. Or should I do something along the lines of the Hunger Games…(that should be interesting to write), or maybe just go with whatever comes to my mind. **

**REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK! PLEASE!**

**And, also, I don't think anyone has any interest in this story…so if you don't review there's a good chance I might put this on a very long hiatus. So REVIEW!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Uh…hi. I'm finally back…it's been a while, hasn't it? I'm VERY SORRY for not posting a new updating, but I shall start telling you why. If you have no interest in reading this, just skip the next part.**

**Okay, so, a day after the last update, my teachers decided to torture us with a bunch of homework. I had to get that done or else I would've been dead. And then, after that, I got distracted and sidetracked. And then I had to go on a plane and go off to another time zone and I was always too tired to write or post. Top it off with getting extreme writers block for this story and maybe you'll forgive me for not posting. **

**Anyways, this chapter isn't as good as the other ones. I don't know. I started it a month ago but kept getting writers block. So, I'm really afraid it isn't that good because writing when you have writers block is hard. And I'm also really afraid that most of you have given up on this story. **

**Read on.**

**Disclaimer: Dream. Love. Smile. Is VERY SORRY that she didn't update this story, and she also does not own the 39 Clues.**

_Amy_

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of water running and Sinead humming.

I sat up in bed and rubbed my eyes sleepily, "What time is it?"

Sinead kept on humming, "Eight o'clock."

I turn to look at her. She's in the bathroom, washing her hands and humming some random song. Sinead humming? I grinned, "You had a good dream, didn't you?"

Sinead flushed bright red, "No."

"About Hamilton," I continued, grinning at the state of Sinead's face. It was flaming red. "And there was a song in it, and that's the song you're humming, right?"

Sinead shook her head furiously, "No! No! No, that's not it at all! Now get ready…" her expression turned mischievous, "Ian texted me-."

"Ian texted _you?_" A surge of jealously raged through me. Why did Ian text Sinead and not me? Did he prefer Sinead over me or something? "Why did Ian text _you?_ Why didn't he-."

Sinead cut me off, "He didn't text you because he knew you would be sleeping and he didn't want to wake you up. He told me that they were waiting for us downstairs. Everyone's eating breakfast and they haven't opened Fiske's Book of Torturous Instructions yet." She grinned widely, "Jeez, Amy, you don't have to be so jealous."

I blushed and got out of bed, "I…wasn't jealous," I finally said. The comeback sounded weak, even to me.

Sinead grinned. "_Sure _you weren't."

I blushed and went into the washroom to get ready for the day. I brushed my teeth and washed my face, then changed into a blue t-shirt and a pair of white shorts. Sinead was waiting for me in our room, wearing purple and blue. I raised my eyebrows at her selection of colours, "Hmm…dressed to impress? Well, mostly the colour choices, but still…"

Sinead blushed, "No! Now we better get downstairs. Ian's waiting for you…"

I swatted her on the arm, "Sinead!"

Sinead laughed, "What? It's true!"

I grumbled and walked out the door, and Sinead followed me, laughing. We walk down to the sitting room, where everyone is eating breakfast. Ian jumps us when he sees me, and Jonah and Hamilton laugh.

Hamilton turns to Sinead and me, grinning. "Hey, Amy, did you know that Ian practically annoyed all of us to death talking about you? He's been obsessing over you since he came down here for breakfast."

Ian sits down again and grumbled, "No, that's not true. Don't listen to him, love."

"Oh, it's true," Jonah grinned widely, "He did drive all of us crazy talking about you…"

"I have a video to prove it," Dan held up his phone. He made a face, "It's revolting."

Natalie nodded in agreement, "My brother is so lovesick…no Kabra has ever been so lovesick."

"I beg to differ, dear sister," Ian said, turning to Natalie, "You're quite lovesick."

Natalie turned to Dan and blushed, and so did Dan. Wow, my little brother is blushing…

I walk over to sit next to Ian, and he hands me a plate of food and a cup of hot chocolate. I smile at him gratefully, "Thank you."

Ian grins at me, and Madison picks up the tattered old notebook of Fiske's Torturous Instructions. She flips it open to today and stares at the page.

"Read it," Ned/Ted nudges her gently and Madison clears her throat.

The room is instantly quiet, everyone straining to listen to what Fiske has planned for us today. I hope it has nothing to do with vials. If it does…I will refuse to follow his instructions.

Madison starts reading, "'_Hello…how was yesterday? I apologize if it caused you distress, but I wanted Natalie to be able to show off her talents. And Ian…I hope you're all right. The maid mixed the wrong poison and then sent it off…I found out AFTER you guys left…and then I couldn't contact you except with notes._

_Anyway, for today, do you see the painting besides the painting of roses? It's a painting of music notes, because I thought the Janus should have some recognition-.'"_

Jonah cut Madison off with a, "YEAH! JANUS ROCK! THEY'RE AWESOME!"

"Ahem…" Ian sent a _look _toward Jonah, and he lowered his head sheepishly.

Madison continued reading, "_'Go over to the painting and open it. Inside is a suite of rooms, all full of clothes,'"_ Natalie's eyes lit up at this, and Dan groaned, _"'Dress properly. There will be a time machine,'"_ Ted, Ned, and Sinead's eyes lit up at the thought of such technology, _"'And it's already set. Dress in the times of 1912. Natalie…I suppose you would like this, despite the old fashioned dress. There are also papers on top of the time machine, take those. They are important. And, remember to wear one of the accessories set on top of the time machine. THEY ARE IMPORTANT. When you're done dressing, Ted, Ned, Sinead, activate the time machine because you're the only ones I trust with technology as advanced as that-and then, HAVE FUN.'"_

"We're travelling back in time?" Dan looked shocked, "Cool!"

Sinead was staring off into space, thinking. Ted and Ned looked shocked.

"A time machine…" Ted/Ned started wondrously.

"…such technology…" The other continued.

"…it's going to be awesome…"

"It's a dream come true!"

I sipped the hot chocolate as the Holts and Starlings stand up.

Dan jumped up, looking ecstatic at the fact that he was going to get to travel back in time. "AWESOME! LET'S GO!" He bounded over to the painting of music notes.

Natalie stood up, adjusted her hair and dart gun, (which was strung on her belt, as usual), and followed Dan. Then the Starlings and Holts followed.

Hamilton, Reagan, and Madison started banging on the painting, but it wouldn't open. Natalie started scrutinizing it for panels or some sort of technology she could hack into, but judging by her exasperated face, she couldn't find anything.

"Should we go join them, love?" Ian asked, looking down at me, smiling.

"All right," I stood up and we went over to join everyone, who was clustered around the painting. Natalie was currently running her fingers over the painting, looking frustrated.

Dan walked forward and brushed Natalie aside. He looked at the painting for a moment, and then pointed at the phone with the music coming out of it. He tapped the screen of the phone and the screen glowed. Words appeared on it.

PLAY _RIVER FLOWS IN YOU._

"It makes sense," I shrugged, "It's Janus-like. So…how do we play music?"

Jonah pushed through, "Janus speciality! Make room for the Janus!" He got to the front of the crowd, stared at the painting, and then set his hands on the keyboard in the painting. He pressed the keys gently, and to my surprise, music came out. Jonah started playing, and the music flowed through the room. When he was finished the song, the painting swung open. Jonah flexed his fingers, looking very pleased with himself.

Ian knocked everyone aside, and as a result, I got to climb through the painting first. I came into a room with walls of metal tinted blue. A box was standing in the middle of the room, and doors were leading from the room. I opened one of the doors as people started crawling into the room.

Ted, Ned, and Sinead shot to the box in the middle of the room-the time machine-and start looking at the technology, gasping and oohing and ahhing.

Natalie walked up to me as I peered through the door. Inside was a room lined with windows, racks of clothes from 1912, jewellery, and purses and bags and all that. Natalie gasped and ran into the room. I went in after her.

Natalie started looking through the gowns, "These are old-fashioned, but the detail…even I'm impressed." She stroked the skirt of one of the gowns.

Madison, Reagan, and Sinead eventually came in, and then Natalie came over holding magazines from 1912, a box of makeup, and a hair curler.

Oh, great. Let another one of Natalie's makeover sessions begin.

_Dan_

The guys went into a room full of these weird old-fashioned things. Ian started looking around, "These are all from 1912," He finally confirmed.

"They are revolting," Hamilton and I said at the same time. Hamilton reached out and pinched the sleeve of one of the shirts.

Ian shrugged. He pulled one of the shirts off a hanger and held it up to Hamilton. "You're a size XXXL?"

Hamilton shrugged, "Hey, I _am _a Tomas."

Ian threw the shirt in Hamilton's hands. "If we are going to time travel, Tomas, it would look very odd if you were wearing…what you're wearing."

Hamilton looked down at his purple shirt and then at the white shirt in his hands. It was a dress shirt, all stiff and proper, "This looks really uncomfortable."

Ted and Ned were picking random articles of clothing off the racks, and I decided to follow their example. Jonah and Phoenix were just looking around.

"This is not cool, yo," Jonah said, looking at one of the jackets. It was blue, with gold detail, "These weird shirts will make us all look like old grandpas."

Phoenix nodded as he stared, his face horrified, at a pink blazer. "What is that? They wore pink back then?"

I pull some random shirt off the racks and a pair of pants. Then I go over into the corner and change into the white shirt, buttoned it up, and switched my jeans for the pants. I came out into the open again, tugging buttons apart at the shirt collar. "This outfit is so uncomfortable," It felt like I was wearing cardboard. "And stiff."

Ian walks over and throws a shirt, identical to the one I was wearing, into my hands. "Try this one. It is silk-Natalie would appreciate it," he smirked and went back to looking through the racks.

I touched the fabric. It was much softer than the cardboard shirt I was wearing now. I changed into it. This was annoying, getting ourselves ready for the time warp back. When did we get to the TOTALLY AWESOME part of this-going back in time? Were there any ninjas back then? Or any video games? If there wasn't…that would pretty much suck, but at least I could say I went back in time!

Oh, who was I kidding? The day would suck if there weren't any ninjas or video games.

_Ian_

After all the boys were dressed in 1912 wear, we went out into the main room with the time machine again. The girls were walking out of their room full of dresses, the sound of skirts swishing against the metal floor. Amy came to stand next to me and I smiled at her. She was wearing a red dress, a ruby hairpin pinning up her hair. Lucian colours.

"Do you think this time machine thing really is real?" She asked me, her jade green eyes fixed on the Starling triplets, who were tinkering away at the time machine.

"I suppose it could be a role-play or something of that sort. Or perhaps a stimulation," I replied, as the Starling girl twirled a dial on the side of the metal box.

"A stimulation…that's something to consider," Amy said, as the Starling girl straightened up and gestured at something on the metal box.

"Okay…um, I think we got this all figured out," one of the Starling boys said, tapping the metal box. "So…um, let's see if this really works."

The other Starling boy pushed a button on the side of the metal box, and everything around me blurred. I felt like I was being pulled up into the air, and the ground left my feet. A while later, my feet hit solid ground again and I was thrust forward. I held my hands out to keep my balance, and it slammed into someone's arm.

"Ian?" I opened my eyes and saw that Amy and I were standing together, in the middle of a mob of people. Through the chatter and shouting and jostling around, I heard a foghorn blow. "Where are we?" Amy asked, brushing a curl of hair out of her eyes.

"I'm…not…quite sure." I looked around, brushing dirt off my shirt. The crowd of people pushed against us and pushed us forward. I grabbed Amy's hand as the crowd of people pushed us until we were standing by the sea. A gigantic boat was looming over us, and there were words on the side of it, but I couldn't quite make them out.

I grabbed Amy's hand and dragged her through the crowd of people, "I think we should get out of this mob," I said, and I started walking who-knows-where. I mean, I didn't even know where we were. I eventually ended up dragging Amy up a ramp and into the boat that we were looking at.

A person wearing an old-fashioned steward's uniform ran up to us and started talking, "You're Ms. Cahill and Mr. Kabra, correct? You're in a first class suite. You're here just in time, we were about to set off without you."

Amy was looking around the huge ship. The ship had plush carpeting, paintings on the walls, and lots of stewards walking around with trays and armfuls of towels. The door behind us, the one we had entered the ship with, snapped shut and the steward turned and grinned broadly at us. "Welcome aboard the _RMS Titanic._"

The _RMS Titanic?_

Amy and I both turned to look at the steward, our mouths dropping open.

_Natalie_

When the Starling boy pushed the button on the box, I was jerked off my feet. Wind started blowing and I pressed my eyes shut. Then I felt a dropping sensation in my stomach and I was falling down. I landed on a soft cushion, and I opened my eyes and looked around.

I seemed to be in some sort of desperately old-fashioned car, sitting in the backseat. The car was moving very slowly. It was surrounded by a bunch of people, and sitting beside me was Dan, looking extremely confused.

"Where are we, Natalie?" Dan looked around, "This is such an old-fashioned car! I mean, there's no TV for playing video games! And no mini fridge for chocolate covered frozen Skittles!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "Is that all you can think about? This car has no mirror for makeup! And no built-in makeup table stocked with makeup! And no built-in closet stocked with designer clothes!" That, in my eyes, was a crime. How could you possibly expect the great _Natalie Kabra _to function without the bare requirements for life? (As in, shopping, makeup, and designer clothes…and I guess oxygen will make its way into there, too).

The car moved slowly through the crowd of people and stopped in front of a ship that was at least three times bigger than the Kabra yacht. It was pretty impressive, even by Kabra standards.

The person driver the car, (the chauffer), got out of the car and opened the door for me. He was dressed in a neat outfit. He held out his hand for me and I took it and let him lead me out of the car. Dan jumped out after me. What a…horribly un-grand entrance. Surely Dan should know by now that if he was to travel with _me, _the amazingly awesome Natalie Kabra, he must learn how to make grand entrances.

The chauffer led us to a ramp and Dan and I were practically forced to walk up it. I lifted up my skirts and adjusted my hair. We were led inside the ship, and I looked around with a critical eye. The place was furnished very old-fashioned like. There was gold furniture, paintings on the walls, plush carpeting, and people dressed in stewards' uniforms running around with gold trays and armfuls of towels. It wasn't too impressive, only the size was impressive, but everything else _just _passed my levels.

A steward ran up to us, "What are your names, may I ask?"

"Natalie Kabra," I said haughtily, and Dan said, "Dan Cahill."

Dan's eyes were searching the halls and the walls of the ship. He was probably looking for a TV screen with a video game console or some food or something along the lines of that.

"Miss Kabra! Mister Cahill! We've been expecting you," the steward smiled, "Welcome aboard the _RMS Titanic!"_

_Titanic?_ My eyes grew wide and I stared at him. "The _Titanic?_" My voice was horrified. I coughed, trying to mask my horror. Kabras never showed their fear.

Dan turned to look over at me, "Why do you sound so scared, Natalie?"

Oh, this was just _wonderful._ Even _Dan _could pick up on the fact that I was horrified.

I lowered my head, "Dan, we're on the _RMS Titanic?"_

Dan was still grinning. "What's wrong with that? It's a really nice ship."

"Dan!" I could barely believe how ignorant he was. "The _RMS Titanic! _You know, the _unsinkable boat _that sank in 1912? And killed a lot of people?"

The grin was already melting off Dan's face, a look of horror replacing it.

_Sinead_

Ted punched the button on the side of the so-called time machine and I was immediately lifted off my feet. Was this really working? This was amazing! Breakthrough science! I was still marvelling over the science and fuses and different factors that could've made this possible, when I smashed into something hard. "Ow!" I shrieked.

"Sinead?" Hamilton's voice. It sounded worried, and I opened my eyes and looked at my surroundings. I was in a medium-sized room. I had slammed into a bed, and Hamilton was standing across from me on a wooden table.

I rubbed my head, "Hamilton, where the heck are we?"

"How am I supposed to know? You're the Ekaterina!"

"Well, I don't know everything! All I can gather is that we've been whisked back in time to 1912, because that's what Ted set it to, and now we're somewhere in 1912 with NO IDEA how to get back!" I started fiddling with the yellow necklace Natalie had made me wear.

"Okay, okay, don't freak out," Hamilton said, "Just…let's try to find out where we are, okay?"

I rubbed my head and stood up, "All right."

Hamilton walked over to the window-more like porthole-above the table and looked out. "I think we're on a boat somewhere. Yeah, we're definitely on a boat."

My brain started working. _A boat. 1912._ Hmm…

Hamilton walked looked at the table and saw the stationary on it. "And here's a notepad that says _Welcome to the RMS Titanic._"

"The _RMS Titanic?_" I shrieked. My head snapped up and I banged it against the bed again, (it was a bunk bed). "Ow."

"Careful," Hamilton said. He put down the notepad and looked around the room. "What's wrong with the _RMS Titanic?_ It's a pretty nice ship."

Okay, I knew Hamilton was a Tomas, but he couldn't possibly be _that _dumb, could he? "Hamilton! The _Titanic! _The boat that sank! You know?"

And that's when Hamilton started freaking out.

_Ted_

I pushed the button and was immediately jerked upwards. I opened my eyes wide but couldn't see anything. It was like I was blind again. Blind again…that made me think of Reagan. And how she had ignored me practically all morning. I felt like I was getting ripped apart. I barely even noticed when I was practically tossed down onto a pretty hard bed. "Ow," I mumbled, sitting up, "Where am I?"

One look at the bed confirmed two things-one, that I wasn't blind, and two-that it was a middle-class bed used back in the 1912, precisely the types used on the _Titanic, _as scavenged when the boat sank.

"Ted?" Reagan's voice. Hearing it again filled me with a rush of longing for her. I looked up and saw her, sitting on a couch across from the bed, her arms crossed and staring at me. Her expression was cold, and it made me shiver.

"Reagan," I greeted her, making myself smile. "Nice to see you."

"Yeah, you saw me this morning. Where are we, Ekaterina?"

This was the first time she had ever been that harsh to me sine the clue hunt. I bit my lip, "It's Ted. And, I can say that we most likely have been jerked back in time, and that we were jerked back in time to precisely 1912, which meant the time machine worked pretty well. Anyways, I have no idea of our exact location, but I can gather…"

"Shut up, Ekaterina. I can't make any sense of those words coming out of your mouth and you're getting ready to bore me to death," Reagan said coldly, turning away from me.

Every word stung, and I stared at her. Then I closed my mouth and looked at the ground.

Voices drifted in from outside of the room. "Margaret-Ann! Can you believe that we are on the _RMS Titanic, _the greatest ship to have ever graced this Earth?"

The _Titanic?_ A list of facts ran through my head, but the one that stood out the most was _Sank on April 14th, 1912, killing the majority of people aboard._

Well. This wasn't good at all, was it?

_Ned_

The time machine must've worked, because I closed my eyes when Ted pushed the button, and when I opened them again, I was standing in the middle of a hallway, watching people dressed in steward uniforms from the 1900s walking around with towels.

I turned around in a circle. The hallway was very simply furnished, with a thin carpet covering the floor and doors leading the rooms lining it. A steward ran up to me. "Hello, sir. What's your name and how may I help you?"

"Uh…my name is Ned Starling," I replied.

"Oh! Mister Starling! We've been expecting you!" The steward grinned brightly at me and started walking down the hall, "Follow me."

I followed him down the hall and he took a key out of his pocket. We stopped in front of a door and the steward opened the door with the key. "Here you are, Mister Starling."

I stepped inside the room and saw it was furnished in a mediocre way, with furniture from the 1900s. Madison was the only other person in the room, and she was standing by a porthole, looking out at sea.

"Alana," I greeted her, and Madison turned, her face lit up in a smile.

"Did the time machine really work? Oh my god, that's so cool." Madison said, "And we're on some sort of boat right now. There's nothing but sea out there. It's so cool."

I looked around the room. There was a painting on the wall, but other than that, there were no other decorations. "Yeah…but…there's…something…" I trailed off. Ever since I had opened my eyes and found myself in this _place, _I had had this uneasy feeling in my stomach that seemed to be saying, _get out of this place. Now._

I sat down on the bed in the room and smiled thinly, "It would be cool. But I'm worried on how to get back. As far as I know, the time machine was latched to the ground using advanced Ekaterina technology and bolts, and there is no way it could've possibly travelled with us."

Madison shrugged, "Why don't you relax and have some fun once in a while? Stop thinking of it, Ekaterinas are always doing some weird calculations in their heads. Live a little and just stop thinking sometimes."

"Stop thinking? Madison, studies have shown that no matter how hard you try, you never stop thinking. Stop thinking is somewhat like an oxymoron, which means it-," I was cut off my Madison.

"Okay, I respect your complicated calculations and everything," she said, "But I don't understand a word you just said. What is an oxymoron? Is it an Oxy Moron? And if so, what does Oxy mean?"

I stared at Madison.

Madison did a fist-pump. "I have finally rendered the great Ned Starling speechless!" She grinned widely. The she paused and looked over at me. "But, seriously, what's an oxymoron?"

I sighed as Madison smiled, almost sheepishly.

_Hamilton_

We were on the _RMS Titanic?_ The crazy freakish ship that had almost sank? And this was, like, a _century _ago! We were a _century _back in time? And I was trapped on a _ship _that was going to _sink _and kill me in exactly four days because back then, (or should I say now), people my age weren't allowed on lifeboats! This was so freaking crazy and scary! I was going to die in four days! What the heck?

My thoughts were all jumbled up and mixed up, and I wasn't thinking straight. I was vaguely aware that I was spinning around and around in circles and Sinead was yelling something at me. The slight movement of the boat rocking back and forth was throwing me into a panic and I just wanted to throw myself down and scream because for once in my life my life actually had a deadline which was much, much too soon for my liking, and why did this have to happen-

"HAMILTON! LISTEN TO ME! STOP. FREAKING. OUT. IT'S NOT GOING TO DO US ANY GOOD!" Sinead's voice pierced my thoughts and jolted me out of my panic mode. I turned to stare at her, panting.

I opened my mouth, but then closed it, because I knew if I tried to speak, then what would come out will be a totally incoherent version of my thoughts that even _Sinead _couldn't make any sense of. I haven't felt so scared in my life before. I just felt like falling down and giving up.

The Tomas would've been ashamed that I had been defeated by a ship.

I slumped down on the ground, buried my head in my hands, and started panting heavily.

This was the first time I've ever shown this much fear.

I had survived climbing up Mount Everest, going through the desert, running faster than a car, and here I was now, breaking down because of history and a ship.

Well, the Tomas would be proud, wouldn't they?

_Madison_

This was actually pretty cool, going back in time. Sure, there was the whole thing about not knowing how to get back, but time travelling was an awesome adventure!

Ned was looking around with a nervous expression on his face, and I was just staring out of the porthole in the room. I could see a dock with a bunch of people gathered around on it, waving, waving, and waving. Water rippled beneath us, and even though the whole place was old-fashioned and from, like, a century ago, it was still pretty cool.

I turned around to look at Ned again, and I could practically _see _the gears turning in his brain. He was mumbling equations under his breath, and it was a safe bet I couldn't understand half the things he was saying.

"1912, 1913, 1911, 19…" he was mumbling and running his fingers through his hair, and he was also tapping his fingers against the bed he was sitting on. It looked like he was trying to figure out something on the tip of his tongue but couldn't quite figure it out.

Someone opened the door to our room. It was a steward, holding a silver tray. He held out the tray, a smile on his face, "We hope you're enjoying your trip on the _RMS Titanic _so far. Here are some refreshments. We officially leave the harbour in five minutes," The steward handed me the tray, smiled again, and left. "Welcome aboard the _RMS Titanic!"_

Ned's head snapped up, and his eyes filled with fear. "The _Titanic_," he whispered.

_Reagan_

I knew I shouldn't be so cold to Ted. It was just a dream, after all. Nothing but a dream. But it still hurt, thinking that he had dreamed of me throwing the bomb and rendering him sightless again.

But I had _four days _left with him before this freakish ship sank and killed both of us. I suppose I should've been more panicky about the fact that I was going to die in four days, but the truth was, I didn't really care anymore. I really didn't have anything to live for anymore except training. And Ted.

But I barely even had Ted anymore, because I had shut him out. And now I was deciding between making up with him and making the best of the four days I had left in this world, or maintaining my could mask and just ignoring him and dying like that.

So, what should I do?

I turned toward Ted. He looked slightly panicked, but mostly like he was sinking in misery. He sent me a smile and I bit my lip, preventing myself from smiling back.

"Reagan. We need to…uh, talk," Ted said.

"Yes, I don't like talking with Ekats, though. They use huge vocabularies and just confuse me to no end," I replied coldly, and Ted's face fell.

"Reagan…we're going to, well, not _we, _more like _I'm_ going to die in four days, and I just want to say, that I have no control over what I dream, but I'm really sorry, if that makes any difference at all." Ted said, and his voice sounded like it was forced happy. As in, he was speaking in a cheerful tone, but even _I _could tell it was forced.

At this, I finally broke down and started crying, for the fifth time in my life. Two of those times had been because of Ted. Well, I guess the Lucians were right. Love does make you weak. Hmm…there should be training for prevention against that.

There was a shuffling sound as Ted stood up, walked over to me, and wrapped his arms around me. He breathed in and out, "So am I forgiven?"

I turned and smiled at him through teary eyes. I was trying to blink them away. I was a Tomas, and we were strong, after all. Weakness was not allowed. "What do you think?"

_Jonah_

The time machine jerked me off my feet. I landed in the middle of a bunch of people, and my bling caught onto some lady's veil.

"Ah! Immature peasant!" She yelled, and I couldn't help but think, _this woman's like Natalie._

I yanked my bling away, but that caught onto her veil, which was tied to her hair, so basically I was having a tug a war with a net of lace and blond curls. How fun. I pulled upwards and the veil released, flew into the air, and into the sea that was across from us.

"Whoops," I smiled sheepishly as the woman turned on me, her eyes angry and ready to kill me. "I'm sorry," I darted away before she could whack me with her purse or something.

"You immature little peasant!" Oh, great, I guess I haven't _totally _escaped her. "How dare you rip up my veil? It was a wedding gift! And a hundred present silk!"

Okay, this woman _had _to be an ancestor of Natalie. I just hoped she didn't have Natalie's supply of poisons. I ran away from her. She was following me, and I dashed up a ramp and into a huge ship that was looming over us.

When I dashed inside the ship, the door I had entered with snapped shut, and a steward walked up to me as I was sighing in relief.

The steward smiled a huge smile that looked like it was too big for his face, "Welcome aboard the _RMS Titanic! _We are leaving Belfast now!"

Wait, _what?_

_Phoenix_

The Starling guy pressed the button on the side of the box and I was immediately jerked off my feet. There was a sensation like I was flying, then a sensation that I was dropping, and then I hit solid ground headfirst.

"Ow!" I jerked upwards, rubbing my head, and looked around at my surroundings. I was in some sort of closet full of clothes, and it was dark and cramped. I blinked to get used to the lack of light. Five minutes later, all I had discovered was that the clothes in this place were uniforms.

I pulled a jacket off a hook and grabbed a cap from a shelf and tried them on. They fit all right, even though they were a little big. I pushed the closet door open and walked out into a lit up hallway.

Someone dressed in the same uniform as me ran past and stopped in front of me. He was holding a tray of refreshments. "Could you please bring this to Ms. Cahill and Mr. Kabra for me? They're on A Deck, Stateroom 14." Then he rushed off, and I was staring at the tray in my hands.

There was a card on it that said _Welcome Aboard the RMS Titanic. _When the words finally registered and I realized what they meant, I suddenly felt dizzy. I felt like dropping the tray.

All of the Cahills were on board the _RMS Titanic. _

Okay, this was definitely a recipe for disaster.

-End-

**A/N: Titanic :) Yeah, I know I didn't use any of my ideas from my last chapter, but when I started this chapter, I was on a Titanic rush. And then I just continued it. Like I said, I'm seriously afraid it isn't that good, because this was to warm me up to writing something for the 39 Clues. **

**Please review and tell me how I did! And you can also bash me for not updating all you want…I'm very sorry. Anyways, review. Please?**


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